Akatsuki Orphanage: New Dawn Orphanage
by A. Rouge. K
Summary: Brother and sister, Naruto and Sakura Namikaze, are running away from the tradgedy that has become their lives. They live on the street jumping from place to place until they are found by the people of the Akatsuki Orphanage. AU
1. Death for Young Eyes

_**Namikaze Household**_

I was in my red and white room, drawing a pretty flower. The crayon I was using was the color of mom's hair, a pretty bright tomato red. Out of the flower stretched a long green stem with leaves. For an eight year old, I think that I could color really well, at least that's what my mom and dad tell me.

As I tried to get the curve in the flower perfect, since it was for my mommy, my door was suddenly slammed open. Knowing who it was I sighed and pushed a single stray pink lock out of my face. Still coloring with my back facing the door I said in an irritated voice, "What do you want Naruto?"

I heard his footsteps bound towards me, singling that he was coming my way. I felt his breath run down my ear as he took in a deep breath and yelled at the top of his lungs, in my _ear_, "MOM WANTED ME TO TELL YOU THAT DINNER WAS READY!"

Slapping my small hands around my ears, I clutched my head from the noise my annoying older brother of nine's yelling. I swear he always had to yell in my ear every time mom or dad said they wanted us for something.

I then stood up fast and pulled up the sleeves of my long white shirt, giving Naruto a murderous look. Naruto, knowing that I was going to beat him to a bloody pulp, grinned sheepishly before he high tailed out of my room in a blur. Yelling out his name I ran after him.

As I ran down the hallway I had to constantly keep pulling up my floor length white shirt, and not seeing where I was going I bumped into something very hard. Before I fell strong arms wrapped around my small frame, and held me up. I looked up to see my dad smiling at me.

His messy blond hair, so much like Naruto's, was splayed out across his head, and his blue eyes shimmered as the light caught onto them. He was still smiling as he asked, "Is there any reason as to why you were running down the hallway so fast?"

I pouted and crossed my arms, my pink swishing around at the action, "Naruto yelled in my ear again…jerk."

My dad laughed and ruffled my hair saying, "Don't worry he won't do it again Sakura."

I smiled up at him and said, "Can we go and get dinner now."

He smiled and nodded reaching out a hand for me to grab. I happily grabbed his hand, his large one encircling my little one. We walked down the hallway together, both smiling at the smell of my mom's food.

As we entered the kitchen I saw Naruto was already sitting at the table, fork and knife in hand. He glanced my way when we entered and rubbed his head sheepishly with the hand that had a fork in it. I glared at him, and dad just shook his head at the two of us.

I took my seat across from Naruto and said, "You know you don't have to yell in my ear all the time Naruto-kun."

He laughed and said, "Sorry Sakura-chan, I'll try to be a better big brother next time."

I huffed, crossed my arms, turned my head to the right and said, "You better be or I'll have to make sure that mouth of yours is sewed up."

I glanced out of the corner of my eyes to see that a profound shiver just went down Naruto's spine. Ha, he deserved it.

My mom then came to the table, food in hand, with dad also behind her with a big thing of white rice. She smiled at me and said, "So much like your mother Sakura-chan."

I smiled and said, "Yup."

She then took her seat next to Naruto after she put down the beef and sushi. Dad then sat next to me.

Naruto was reaching forward, trying to get at the beef, but a quick hand from our mother stopped him. She then scolded him, "Don't even think about it young man. You have to give thanks _before_ you dig your face into the food."

He took his hand back and slouched in his chair mumbling to himself. My mom shook her head at him, causing her floor length red hair to sway. She opened her mouth to give thanks, but a sudden sound stopped her.

There was a harsh knock on our door, and then there was the sound of the door smashing down to the ground. I screamed and clutched onto my dad, scared of the people who were breaking into our house. Naruto jumped out of his chair, with a determined look on his face, thinking that he could help fight off these people at only nine years old.

My dad narrowed his eyes and said, "Come on Naruto, Sakura you two follow your mother and I to the back of the house."

He picked me up swiftly seeing that I really didn't want to let go of him, Naruto just ran after our mother as she ran ahead of us. The sounds of loud footsteps were getting closer.

Mom then opened a door really fast, making sure not to make noise. She ushered Naruto, dad, and me in. Dad then put me down next to my brother who was shaking like me but not as much. We watched as our parents opened the side of a wall, to what looked like a larger hole in the wall.

"Naruto, Sakura get over here," Dad whispered quickly.

Naruto took hold of my hand and dragged me over to our mom and dad. My mom then said, "Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun the people that broke in are very bad people. Mommy and daddy will take care of them, we just need you two to get into the wall and stay quiet."

At this I whispered, "What's going on?"

My dad crouched down in front of us, looked at us and said, "Naruto protect your sister you got that?" Naruto nodded so dad continued, "Sakura be a strong big girl for dad okay," I nodded hesitantly, a small tear running down my face. He wiped it off my face, put a hand on my shoulder and another one on Naruto's, and said, "You two stay together no matter what happens alright."

Before we could answer the sound of banging against the door came. At this my dad quickly lifted Naruto into the wall first and then me, but before he shut the opening closed he took off a necklace around his neck. The necklace had a blue crystal and two silver balls on either side of it.

He gave the necklace to Naruto who quickly put it around his neck. Our mom then came forward and took off the same exact necklace from her neck, except the crystal was green. She handed it to me and said, "Put this on Sakura-chan."

I nodded shakily, getting scared of the people trying to knock down the door, the wood creaking at the force. Both our parents smiled at the two of us, then mom said, "Remember that we love you always."

Dad smiled saying, "Keep those necklaces on you at all times, we love you both, never lose each other…goodbye." His ending words were cut off by the intruders finally knocking down the door. At this our dad quickly slammed the opening to the wall closed. It was now pitch black.

I was shaking now inching closer to the back of the hallow wall. Naruto was in the very back, trying his best to be brave for me. Why was this happening? Why were people coming after us? It made no sense. Maybe they came for money, but we weren't really all that rich. Why were they here?

I started to cry from all the unanswered questions. I wiggled over to Naruto, who could hear the sound of me crying. At this he reached out for me in the darkness, and wrapped me in a protective hug, hiding my face in his chest.

The sounds outside of the wall were sounds of shouting and yelling, things being thrown, and people hitting the floor. It only sounded like five people were the ones fighting my parents.

I clutched tighter to Naruto as the sounds got louder. He in turn started to rub my back, but he was still shaking from fear of the unknown.

For what seemed like forever, the sounds finally stopped. At this Naruto tightened his hold around me, getting ready for anything. We were waiting for the sounds to completely disappear, but when it seemed like all was silent my dad shouted and there was the sound of a gunshot. My mother then shouted out a blood curling scream, surely someone heard it!

Naruto then shifted, putting himself in front of the opening and placing me behind him just in case. We waited for twenty minutes, just in case any bad men were lingering behind.

After the twenty minutes were up, Naruto inched forward and slowly swung open the hatch. He then shouted.

Hearing him shout I crawled to the front of the opening to scream. There in front of my brother and I was the bodies of our dead parents, both bleeding out. My dad lay over my mom, her red hair mixing with the blood around her. I put small hand up to my mouth as tears streamed down my face. Naruto had jumped from the hole to the floor, sitting and crying on his legs.

I didn't know what was happening or why, all I knew was that Naruto and I needed to leave and never come back to this place.

_**Uchiha Household**_

Sasuke pouted as once again his older brother Itachi poked at his forehead. His brother was giving him that smirk saying, "Foolish little brother."

Sasuke pouted even deeper and said, "Am not!"

Itachi then pushed his long black hair behind his ear, walking forward, away from Sasuke. Sasuke seeing this hurried ahead and said, "Let's go see if mom's done with dinner yet brother."

Itachi gave a grunt and walked down the hallway with his little brother. They walked pass the garden in peaceful silence. Sasuke was wondering when he would get to learn new things in martial arts by Itachi and his dad. He really wanted to be the best nine year old at fighting, it was a little dream of his.

They walked through the doorway to the kitchen, smelling the food that their mother was making for them. Sasuke smiled and sat in a chair at the table, his black locks shaking around him by the action. Itachi took a seat next to his little brother in one smooth motion, sitting down properly.

Their mother took notice of them and said, "Dinner is just about done, and I suspect that your father will be coming home from work in a couple minutes."

"What's for dinner mom?" Sasuke asked very hungry at the moment.

She smiled and said, "White rice, sushi, and miso soup."

Sasuke pouted and sank back into his chair mumbling about no tomatoes or something like that. Itachi smirked at his younger brother, but his face took a serious turn as the door behind them opened to reveal their father.

Their father sighed as he came in and sat down, looking very tired. He then greeted his sons by nodding, "Itachi, Sasuke." Itachi nodded back while Sasuke asked, "How was work father?"

Their dad sighed again and said, "Busy."

Their mother then came to the table saying, "My boys say such few words I wonder why?"

She then kissed the top of Fugaku's head. He smirked at this, while watching his wife sit down next to them. The four Uchiha's then gave thanks for their meal and started to eat, there was little conversation.

During the middle of dinner there was a sudden banging on the door behind Itachi and Sasuke.

Itachi, being the good kid he was, stood up to open the door, saving his parents the trouble. As he opened the door he looked to see his Uncle Madara, and Uncle Tobi (who was wearing his customary orange mask) and said, "Uncles how may I help you?"

Madara smirked and said, "Always the polite one Itachi."

Madara then walked through the doorway, Tobi following from behind, not saying anything. This struck Sasuke as odd sense Uncle Tobi always talked, to the point where Sasuke wanted to smack him upside the head.

Sasuke's father grunted saying, "Brother's what are you doing here?"

Madara chuckled saying, "What no 'hello how are you?' or 'how are you doing?' Such a rude younger brother, Fugaku."

Sasuke and Itachi's mom smiled and said, "Hello Tobi, Madara, what can we do for you?"

Madara then spoke in a cold tone, "How about you tell me where you hid the two Sources I need, brother."

Fugaku's eyes hardened as he said, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Sasuke got out of his seat and edged towards his brother who was leaning on the wall with narrowed eyes. Itachi took hold of Sasuke's hand and said, "If anything happens do as I say." Sasuke numbly nodded.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Fugaku," Madara seethed, "Those two Sources are very important for the plan; in other words I _need_ them," he then reached into his coat and pulled out a gun, pointing it at Mikoto. She gasped and asked, "Madara what are you doing?"

Tobi then pulled out a gun and said, "Tobi's sorry Mikoto, but Tobi and Madara need these two Sources. Tell Tobi where they are."

Sasuke was definitely scared now. Uncle Tobi's voice was deeper than before, and now both of his uncles had guns pointed at his parents. He was about to speak, but Itachi put a hand over his mouth stopping him.

"Tell me where they are right now, or we kill you both and find other means of getting the Sources."

At this Sasuke gasped, bringing attention to him and Itachi. Mikoto had a look of terror in her eyes as she looked at her sons. She then said, "What about our children, you can't leave them without parents."

Madara shrugged and said, "Sure I can; now the Sources you tell me where they are or I will shoot you both right now."

Fugaku crossed his arms and said, "Those Sources could mean the end of this world…I will not tell you where they are _ever_."

Madara smirked, "Wrong answer."

Then two gunshots sounded.

Sasuke shouted his parents' names, wanting to run to them but a hand prevented him from doing so. He looked up to see Itachi with a stone cold expression on his face.

Itachi then spoke, "You monster, why would you do such a thing?"

Madara said nothing as he walked out of the house as if he did not just murder Sasuke and Itachi's parent's right in front of their eyes. Tobi followed him out but before they left Madara said in a bored voice, "Sorry for you loss boys."

**~Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, just the plot.**

**Okay what did you think! I thought that doing a modern take of Naruto would be interesting, and here you already know who the four main characters are. I took more time with the Namikaze household part because they are more essential to the story than the Uchiha's are at the moment.**

**I hope you all liked it! Review and tell me what you think and if I should continue!**

**Lots of Reviews= Happy author= Faster updates**


	2. Savoir with the Red Hair

_**8 years later**_

I was with my older brother walking to work. Naruto lazily put his hands behind his head, but still kept a sharp eye out for anything that could mean harm for either of them. My blond haired brother had become like this ever since _that day_, the day our parents were killed.

It was strange when I thought about it. Ever since Naruto and I took what we could out of the house and left, jumping from place to place, we were still followed. Every once in a while someone would attack us mumbling about us being dangerous and important, or something like that. From very early ages we had to learn to fight and protect ourselves against the people that chased us.

We didn't really know why they chased us, they just did. Naruto kept true to what our father told him to do; to protect me. But that didn't mean that I was just going to let my older brother get beaten up for no reason. So I asked him, more like forces him, to teach me the ways of fighting. Since we were Namikaze's it just came naturally to us.

What was really surprising at the moment was that we were able to stay in this small town, Konoha, for four months without anyone trying to attack us. For me it seemed like a miracle! I was able to get a job as a waitress to pay for food, while my brother decided to do odd jobs, like walking dogs or repairing roofs. We used the money that we got for things like food, clothes, water you know stuff like that.

We were now approaching the small dinner I worked at, Ichiraku Ramen. I straightened out my dark blue jeans and plain red tank top, along with my green crystal necklace I never took off. There was no uniform at Ichiraku's since they were a pretty laid back place. I checked to see if my hair stayed in the braid I put it in, sadly some strands were loose.

I was about to fix those strands but Naruto stopped me by saying, "Why do you need to look so perfect all the time Sakura-chan? You look fine to me."

I huffed, put my hands on my waist and said irritated, "I didn't ask you Naruto-kun."

He gave me a smile and said, "Just relax a little more will ya? It isn't like the old man is going to get at you for a few loose strands of hair."

Just then the door opened to reveal the owner of the dinner, and Sakura's boss. He laughed and slapped a hand on Sakura's back saying, "No need to look all perfect Sakura-san. You know my rules, no uptightness allowed."

I smiled looking at him; he was such a nice boss. I rubbed the back of my head, a habit caught from Naruto, and said, "Sorry sir, I always used to be like this, even as a child."

He waved his hand and said, "No matter, now time to get to work."

I nodded and said, "Have fun doing your odd jobs Naruto-kun."

He snickered at me and said, "Bye Sakura-chan."

I shook my head at him and walked in with my boss inside of Ichiraku's. It was a fairly small dinner; it had a couple of tables and chairs here and there, and a small bar. Since Ichiraku mainly served ramen and sushi it was a very low key place. The whole place was painted red with some black and white designs here and there. Though its size was small, it didn't mean that the business wasn't.

After getting everything set up I had opened up the dinner at noon. It didn't take long for people to pour in, and since I was the only waitress here that meant I was busy taking care of all the customer's needs. I pulled a single pink strand of hair that fell out of my braid behind my face and got the sushi and miso soup that was meant for an old couple at table five.

I walked over to them and smiled saying, "Anything else you need?"

The old man gave me a crinkly smile and said, "No thank you young miss."

I nodded my head and went back to give everyone else their foods and refills. I stood there for ten minutes, watching the people eat and to see if they needed anything. Everyone talked while eating, which was a dead ringer for me not to bother them. I noticed a man get up from a table and leave after paying his bill.

I walked over to the table and took away the man's bowl and glass, while also taking the tip and stuffing it into my pant pocket. After clearing and cleaning the table I looked back at the customers to see that they were all still talking and eating.

I sighed and smiled. I really hoped that those men had stopped following Naruto and I, since I really like this little town and all the people in it. It was a welcoming place where everyone knew each other and best of all there was little to no crime. The police force hear was very good, keeping the streets clean of evil doers.

Maybe Naruto and I were finally free to live our lives, instead of running from them.

The little bell ringed at the doorway, making me come out of my reverie. A man, probably at least six years older than me, walked in. His red hair was the first thing I noticed. It was almost as red as my mother's hair had been, except the man's was a darker shade than hers. And his eyes were a strange grey with some purple tint to them.

I then walked up to him and asked, "Is it only you today sir?"

The man smiled and said, "Yes."

I nodded and picked up a menu while saying, "Follow me please."

He complied and I took him to the table that I just cleared off. Setting his menu down and watching him sit I asked in a kind voice, "Is there anything I could get you to drink?"

He picked up his menu and said, "Just water please."

I nodded and said before walking away, "Oh and by the way, my name's Sakura."

He nodded and said, "My name is Nagato."

I smiled and then walked to the back to get him his glass of water.

That was strange, I thought to myself. Normally no one ever told me their name, it just didn't happen. This man though, Nagato, seemed to have no problem with it. Shrugging my shoulders I filled a glass with water and brought it to him.

I set it down in front of him, and taking note that the menu was now closed in front of him I asked, "So have you decided on what you would like Nagato-san?"

"I'll just have the salmon rolls and miso soup please," Nagato said politely.

I nodded and took his menu saying, "Kay, it will be coming out shortly."

He nodded and I went back to put the menu away.

I gave his order to my boss and his daughter, who was one of the cooks, and went back to cleaning off tables and giving people their food and refills. Pushing the lone strands out of my face again I heaved all the dishes from a big group of people into the large sink into the kitchen.

The boss's voice then shouted, "Miso and salmon rolls are up!"

I went over to grab them and walked over to Nagato's table.

I put the food down and said, "Here you go."

His eyes smiled at me as he said, "Thank you Sakura-san."

I nodded and went back to work, doing the normal routine. I looked behind me to see that Nagato had already left, money on the table waiting to be picked up. I went over to the table and saw the amount he left on the table…let's just say it was a lot.

There was the money to pay for his meal, and then there was my tip. He left more money for the tip than for the meal. My eyes widened at the money on the table, thinking why someone would leave me so much money. There was at least fifty dollars for the tip.

Not exactly knowing what to do I took the money for the tip and put the rest of it in the register for the meal. If I ever saw Nagato again I would have to give him a big thank you!

My day then went on normally from there. It was now second nature for me to wait every table that I didn't even know that it was time to leave yet until boss told me to go. I said that I would help clean up but he smiled and said, "You worked hard today kid, go and sleep or something. I've got everything handled here."

I smiled, about to say thank you but the bell from the door ringed, cutting me off. I looked to see Naruto there with a smile on his face as he said, "Time to go Sakura-chan."

I nodded to him and said, "Thank you again boss!"

He nodded and said, "Anytime Sakura-san."

I then walked to Naruto and he led me out of the door and we walked to the park. The money we used was only for food, clothes, and other necessities which meant that we didn't have enough money for a place to live. So we lived in the park and hid our clothing behind bushes and things. Surprisingly enough, no one stole our clothing or even found it yet.

As we entered the small park, containing only a slide, small play set, and two swings, I went to sit on a patch of grass on top of the hill that held a cherry blossom tree. It was a great place to just sit and look at the stars that were now out.

As I laid down in the grass I heard Naruto fall next to me. We were silent, lost in our own thoughts. I broke the silence saying softly, "Naruto-kun…this is the eighth anniversary."

He gave a loud sigh and said, "Yeah I know. It seems as if it was just yesterday that Mom was yelling at me to clean up my mess and Dad was just laughing at her."

I smiled a small smile and said, "Yeah…I know that being sixteen should mean that I should be over it by now, but I still miss them."

I then sat myself up and pulled my knees to me chest. Even though I was still in a tank top, the nights here in Konoha were warm and welcoming. I just held myself for comfort.

I heard movement besides and felt strong arms pick me up and hold me against their chest. Naruto was now holding me close, comforting me like the amazing big brother he was. His holds or hugs always felt comforting to me, even as a child they were comforting during those first few years of confusion.

"Sakura-chan," his voice said softly, "I miss them too…I always will. We may not be able to change the past, but we can always try better our future. This place, Konoha I mean, seems like a great place to just start all over for us…we just need to find a place to crash."

I smiled at his attempt to cheer me up and said, "What would I do without you?"

He laughed and said, "No need to worry about that since I'm never going to leave you alone."

I snuggled closer to him and looked up at the stars saying, "Thank you Naruto-kun."

He held me tighter, putting his chin on top of my head saying, "Sure thing Sakura-chan."

We stayed like that for a while, me in his arms. We stayed silent and just looked at the bright little orbs of light in the sky. Those little stars were always so comforting to the both of us because we used to watch the stars with our parents. It was nice to think that they had become the stars and watched over us now, always keeping us safe.

I closed my eyes slowly drifting to sleep in my brother's arm; that was until I heard the sound of footsteps. My eyes shot open on instinct, and I felt Naruto's body tense slightly, but it probably wasn't visibly noticeable.

I looked to see someone walking on the sidewalk below us. He had on an orange swirl mask with a tuff of black hair peeking out on the top, he wore a black button down shirt and black slacks. He seemed like some _strange_ business man, I mean come on who wears a _mask_ in public, who was taking a break from work. But that didn't mean that we weren't suspicious, if anything we were on our guard just in case this man decided to attack us.

The masked man saw us and gave us a lazy glance, from the glance I could see that there was only one eye-hole in the mask, and his eye appeared to be _red_. That didn't seem too good. The man started to walk off, but he then did a double take on us. I could see his lone eyes glint as he walked up the hill to Naruto and me.

Naruto then stood up; I then stood up right next to him, refusing to hide behind him like some scared little girl. Naruto then inquired in a neutral voice, "Is there anything that I can help you with?"

The man said in a high pitched voice, "Yes, Tobi saw you necklaces, and they are very familiar to Tobi. Can you tell Tobi where you found them?"

I stared at the man openly, wondering why the hell he was talking in third person. That was just strange, just like that mask and eye of his.

Naruto got instantly defensive and said, "What's it to you?"

I gave my brother a look and then said to Tobi, I assumed that was his name, "They're our parents, nothing special."

Tobi voice then got deep as he said, "Hand them over please."

Naruto put a hand in front of me, which kind of pissed me off, but I knew that he meant well. Naruto then growled, "No sorry, now would you please leave."

Tobi shook his head and said, "Not until you give Tobi the necklaces."

I then got defensive and said, "Sorry, but these are very important to us, now would you go."

Tobi sighed and said in his deep voice, "I was hoping to avoid this, but you leave Tobi no choice," Tobi then pulled out a gun and pointed it directly at me, "give them to Tobi now or I shoot your sister here."

What was going on? All the people that had been following us and attacking us didn't have weapons, but Tobi had a very real gun in his hand. Maybe he wasn't with the guys that were chasing us. No, that didn't seem right either.

Naruto growled, "Put the damn gun down and do not point it at my sister."

Tobi didn't put the gun down, instead he cocked it saying, "Last chance."

I could see his hand move towards the trigger, Naruto must've saw as well because he pounced forward and attacked the masked man when the shot went off. Instead of hitting my head, where Tobi had it pointed, it grazed my left arm instead. I shouted, feeling the stinging sensation running down on my arm.

I could see Naruto was now rolling around with Tobi on the ground, trying to get the gun out of his grasp. Tobi then punched Naruto in the face with his free hand, making Naruto loose his balance. Tobi, seeing the small lose in balance, took advantage of it and knocked Naruto towards me.

I gripped my arm as I shouted, "Naruto-kun are you okay?"

He shook his head, still recovering from the punch. His eyes then widened as he looked at my arm bleeding out and yelled, "What do you mean 'am I alright'? You're the one who got hit from the bullet, are you alright, did it sink into your skin or-"

I cut him off saying, "It only grazed me, so stop your worrying."

Naruto stood up slowly and then Tobi then said, "Surrender now, Tobi really doesn't like to use Tobi's guns."

"Then don't use them!" I shouted, still gripping onto my bleeding arm, hissing from the pain.

"Tobi can't do that," the masked man said deeply.

Naruto then looked straight into my emerald eyes and said, "I got left you got the right, kay?"

I nodded and said, "Yup."

Tobi seemed to get confused as he said, "What does tha-" But he was cut off by both Naruto and me punching him in the face, me from the right and Naruto from the left. Just because my left arm got hurt didn't mean that I couldn't hit with my _right_ arm.

Tobi then fell backwards and rolled down the hill, gun falling from his hands. I huffed and once again clutched my arm saying to Naruto, "We need to get out of here now."

All he did was nod and take hold of my right shoulder to lead me down the hill and onto the streets. We ran, making sure to not run into anyone. But really who would be out at midnight on a Monday?

We ran a little longer before we stopped to sit beside a building in the alleyway. We were now deep in the city of Konoha, the street lamps being our only source of light. I sighed as I sat down, extremely tired from being up late and almost getting shot in the head. My arm had almost stopped bleeding but I still held onto hit just in case.

Naruto then ripped the bottom part of his orange shirt off and wrapped it around my arm gently while asking, "Are you alright Sakura-chan?"

I nodded tiredly and said, "Yeah, what about you, I can see the bruises on your arms and face. And I bet there are some on your legs, but your jeans are covering it."

He then said seriously, "I think a bullet graze is worse than a couple of bruises."

I sighed and said, "This means we are going to have to leave again right?"

Naruto looked down as he finished wrapping up my arm and took a seat next to me on the pavement. He ran a hand through his unruly blond hair and said, "Yeah, we don't want to run into that Tobi guy again."

I nodded sadly and said, "How much money do you have on you, since we can't go back and get our stuff we hid in the bushes."

He put a hand in his pockets and pulled out his money. After counting it he said, "About $45.00, what about you?"

I got my tip money out of my pocket and counted, after I was done I said, "I have $115.65."

Naruto's eyes widened as he said, "How the hell did you get all of those tips?"

I shrugged and said, "Some guy gave me fi-"

I was cut off by footsteps coming our way. Naruto and I shot up, expecting it to be Tobi again. We saw a man cross under a streetlight and walk over to us. We were about to make a run for it but the man called out to us and said, "Wait!"

Naruto was tugging my hand, still trying to run away from the man. I stopped knowing the voice; I heard it today at Ichiraku's.

Naruto kept tugging my hand whispering, "Sakura-chan we need to go, now."

I shook my head as the man ran closer towards us and I whispered under my breath, "Nagato-san?"

The man then came into our sight, now only a few feet away from us. It was indeed the nice man from earlier with the red and hair and purple tinted grey eyes.

He looked at us and said, "Sakura-san, I thought that was you," He then looked at both at me and Naruto closer and said, "Why is your friend covered in bruises, and your arm bleeding, are you alright?"

Naruto stopped tugging my hand and asked, "You know this guy Sakura-chan."

I nodded at my brother saying, "Yeah, we can trust him don't worry."

Naruto looked a little reluctant, but let go of my hand then then walked to stand beside me protectively.

Naruto then inquired, "We got in a little scuffle, nothing to worry about."

Nagato shook his head, his red hair shaking at the action. "That doesn't look like nothing you two," he said defiantly, "I won't leave until you tell me what happened."

I looked at Naruto and said, "I don't think that it would hurt to tell one person, he might be able to help."

Naruto frowned saying, "I don't know…"

I just shook my head at him and ran a hand through my braided hair, now looking at Nagato saying, "We were attacked by a man named Tobi who had an orange swirl mask on."

Nagato's eyes lit up as he asked, "Did he talk in third person?"

Both Naruto and I were startled by this question so Naruto just said, "Um, yeah he did, how did you know that?"

Nagato then crossed his arms saying, "I met the man once and I don't trust him," he then examined us further and said, "how old are you two, and what are your relations, you both kind of look alike."

Naruto answered, "I'm 17 and Sakura-chan is 16, we're brother and sister."

Nagato nodded and said, his voice laced with care, "Do you need me to walk the two of you home, just in case that man decides to hurt you again."

My eyes hung low as I said, "We have no home, we are just going to go to the next city like usual."

"You're orphans I presume then," Nagato said, arms still crossed.

Naruto nodded and stepped closer to me saying, "Yeah, our parents were killed eight years ago. We tend to get chased a lot so we just jump from city to city, what's it to you?"

I elbowed Naruto with my good arm and hissed, "Be nice to Nagato-san, he is only trying to help us."

Naruto and I then proceeded to have a glaring contest. We barely registered Nagato's voice saying, "I live and work at an orphanage, how about you two come with me?"

Naruto then stared at Nagato dumbly, and I just looked at him with curious eyes. Naruto then said, "No thanks, we tend not to stay in one place for too long."

I protested and said, "Naruto-kun, what if he can help us, I mean…we can't keep on doing this forever and you know it."

"But Sakur-"

"No," I said strongly, "remember what Mom and Dad always told us, to look out for each other. Well you have always been looking out for me, now it's my turn so shut up and accept Nagato-san's offer."

Naruto looked into my eyes hard, looking for any doubt within them, he saw none. I held my ground; I had a strong feeling that this red haired man would be able to help us. Plus I would like to actually sleep in a bed after sleeping on the grass for eight years.

Naruto sighed knowing that he couldn't persuade me, so he said, "Fine, but as soon as it seems unsafe we are leaving Sakura-chan."

I nodded and then looked at Nagato saying, "We will come with you Nagato-san."

Nagato smiled and then walked closer to us saying, "I'm glad, I hate seeing kids like you on the streets; I used to be one until the Akatsuki Orphanage found me. Believe me when I say you are going to love it."

I nodded as he walked ahead of us and we followed. Nagato then spoke up saying, "Once we get there we will take care of your arm Sakura-san, and your bruises Naruto-san. Then we will give you some fresh clothes and let you sleep."

Surprised that he would do all of that for us, I asked, "Why are you being so nice to us?"

Nagato kept walking forward, not looking our way as he said, "Because you two remind me of how me and two of my friends used to be; alone on the streets, protecting each other."

We kept walking behind him after he said those words. It was nice to know that he understood our situation, and he would take us in so quickly. Plus he knew this 'Tobi' man, maybe he knew a way to help us.

I had a feeling that The Akatsuki Orphanage seemed like a nice and welcoming place. As I walked with Naruto by my side I knew that no matter what we would stick by each other's and protect one another. Hopefully things could get only better from here on out right?

**~Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, just the plot**

**And there is ch. 2! I know some of you must be thinking that it might end up being a NagatoxSakura, but I'm sorry for I will never write one of those. If there is a pairing in here it will be ItaSaku (I love those two together!)**

**And see how long it took for me to update that is because I only got three reviews people. I know more than three people subscribed to my story (thank you to those that did!) so that means I could've had more reviews…**

**Anyways thank you to those that reviewed and subscribed, makes me very happy :D**

**Please review and I will magically update faster instead of being lazy!**


	3. Welcome to Akatsuki Orphanage PT 1

_**Akatsuki Orphanage **_

Nagato was leading Naruto and me up the steps to our new home now. The outside of the house was just amazing. It was very large, almost the size of a mansion, and it had an old traditional Japanese look to it. It had a tall and pointed red iron roof with a small jade tip. Under the larger roof, there was another layer of roof the same deep red. The house was made up of white panels outlined with black beams. It was absolutely stunning.

As we walked up the black steps I took notice to the small gardens situated on the front of the house. They were filled with a variety of different flowers, all different colors and shapes.

I then asked Nagato, "Nagato-san, who plants all of the flowers? I'm sorry to ask but they're really beautiful."

Nagato turned his head to me as we approached the door and smiled, "My good friend, the one I mentioned earlier, Konan, has a love for flowers. She also has a garden at the back of the orphanage with a small pond and a cherry blossom tree."

My eyes lit up, no matter how tired I was, and I said, "This isn't your average orphanage is it?"

Nagato grabbed the gold handle to the white door and swung it open while saying, "You could say that Sakura-san."

As he opened the door I felt my jaw slack a bit, and I could also see Naruto out of the corner of my eye; his jaw was wide open. The door Nagato opened revealed dark wood floors, a large grand staircase that seemed to go on forever, all different paintings and masks hung on the walls. And where there were white or black tables red flowers were put on them. Also on the hanging on the ceiling was a large crystal chandelier that glittered in the light.

Naruto, gathering his bearings, rubbed the back of his neck and asked, "How the hell is this an orphanage Nagato-san," at Nagato's raised eyebrow Naruto then preceded to wave his hands in front of his face saying hurriedly, "Not to be disrespectful or anything! I just mean that this place is just…wow, you know…it's not like any other orphanages I've heard of. This place seems more like a mansion for people with _a lot_ of money."

Nagato shrugged and said, "Well the people who run this place, Jiraiya and Tsunade, are very generous people. They want the best for unfortunate kids since they have seen many horrors of this world. They only want to make life easier for us."

I smiled pushing my pink braid behind me and said, "These people sound great! I can't wait to meet them."

Nagato started to walk up the stairs as he said, "They are, and you won't have to wait long to meet Tsunade. I'm going to get her right now so that she can treat your wounds. She was the head of a hospital before she and Jiraiya made this place. Wait here while I go and wake her up."

With those words he disappeared up the long staircase. I wonder how many levels this house had?

"Hey Sakura-chan," Naruto said, and I turned to him, "I think it was a good idea to come here. Nagato seems like he actually cares about our well-being, and this place is just…well amazing I guess…"

I crossed my arms and started to tap my foot saying, "You're rambling again Naruto-kun. Just spit out whatever you're trying to say, okay?"

He nodded and took a deep breath, "I guess what I'm trying to say is that…you were right."

I smiled and punched his arm saying, "Of course I was! I did get our father's smarts after all thank you very much."

"You also got mom's temper," Naruto whispered under his breathe.

I was about to smack him, but the sudden pain in my arm stopped me. I probably shouldn't have hit Naruto in the arm, because now my arm that got hit with the bullet was telling me I was an idiot. I clutched it, trying to numb the pain of it.

Naruto noticed and touched my shoulder softly asking, "Sakura-chan, are you alright?"

I was about to respond but the sudden creak of steps stopped me. Still holding my arm close, and Naruto still with a hand on my shoulder, we looked to see Nagato coming down the steps with a blond women. She was beautiful to say the least. She had her pale blond hair pulled into two low pig tails, her honey eyes were strong, and she wore a pretty green silk robe. I also took notice to the small little diamond shaped gem on her forehead.

She and Nagato were now before us and the blond women, Tsunade, sighed, "Where did you find these two again Nagato?"

Nagato put his hands behind his back as he said, "On the streets running from a man that shot them…you know Tsunade it's good to stay sober before you decide to sleep."

She ignored him saying, "Whatever kid," then she walked towards us with a small smirk, "come and follow me please."

We complied and followed both her and Nagato down the hallway. In all the hallways that we passed we saw more art hanging on the walls, a few rooms that had different doors, and a large library. Everything was decorated very grand and it was all so very clean that I had yet to find something out of place, or even a speck of dust.

Tsunade then slid open a white shoji door to reveal what looked like a medical room. It was all white, save for the tan beds. All of the bandages and medicines were neatly stacked on shelves, and all the equipment was set in a corner.

Tsunade led Naruto and I to the two tan beds next to the window and told us to sit down. We complied, Naruto siting on the bed to the right and I sat on the one to the left. Tsunade then got out bandages and some other liquids I didn't recognize.

She walked over to me first and said, "Nagato said your wounds were more serious than your brother's," she then inspected my arm, taking off Naruto's ripped piece of shirt wrapped around it, "what did you do to get shot at?"

Naruto grumbled and said, "Nothing, we were just sleeping in the park like usual and some guy with a mask pointed a gun at my sister because he wanted our necklaces."

Tsunade raised a delicate eyebrow as she cleaned my wound and asked, "Is there anything special about those necklaces?"

I shook my head, little pink strands of hair falling on my face at the action, as I said defeated, "No, they were given to us by our parents before they died."

Tsunade, still focused on my arm, asked, "Nagato only told me your first names, would you mind telling me your full names?"

I grimaced a little at the stinging sensation in my arm as I said, "My full name is Sakura Namikaze and-"

Naruto cut me off saying, "I'm Naruto Namikaze. Our parent's names were Minato Namikaze and Kushina Namikaze."

Tsunade then wiped my arm while her face scrunched up in thought. "I know I have heard the name Namikaze somewhere. Did you parents own any large business?"

"Not that we know of," Naruto sighed.

Tsunade nodded and continued to wipe my arm. I then took notice to Nagato who was sitting in a chair off to the side of my bed. I started to stare at him, mostly at the distance look in his eyes. Those strange eyes of those were filled with many emotions right now. They flashed from sad, to worry, to happiness, and finally just blank. This all took place in a couple of seconds, but it seemed so much slower to me.

Coming out of his deep thought he turned to me and said, "Is your arm feeling better Sakura-san?"

I nodded at him, seeing that Tsunade was now wrapping it up. Then I said, "Yeah, it feels much better than it did 30 minutes ago."

Naruto snickered and said, "Of course it does."

Tsunade's strong voice then spoke, "Now Sakura, make sure that you don't overuse this arm. It may be a bullet graze but its deep enough to be concerned about."

I nodded at her and said, "Got it."

She nodded and then went over to Naruto to treat his wounds. It didn't take her long since he hand some minor cuts and bruises.

"Well now that you are all mended up I'm sure the both of you are tired," Nagato said standing up.

I yawned, "Yeah, sleeping on something other than a ground sounds great."

Naruto then walked up next to me and said, "Yeah we haven't slept in a bed in eight years. This is a pretty nice change."

Tsunade's eyes widened a bit as she led us out of the medical room and back to the front of the house. "How old are you two?"

I looked at her and said tiredly, "I'm sixteen and Naruto is seventeen."

Tsunade then shook her head saying, "So you became orphans when you were eight and nine."

Naruto nodded solemnly. She stopped asking questions then, I had a feeling that we would be asked more questions tomorrow after a good night's rest.

We were now walking up the long staircase. We passed two floors and it looked like there were two more to go. Tsunade led the way, Nagato behind her, and Naruto and I walking side by side behind the red haired man. The stairs were wide enough that we were able to walk next to each other up them.

As we approached the third floor Tsunade stopped and said, "You two will be on this floor with Konan, Nagato, and Yahito. I will be at the top floor with Jiraiya if you need anything, night."

The strong blond woman then walked up the stairs, probably to go back to bed. Nagato pushed his long red hair out of his face as he looked and Naruto and I. He then waved a hand towards himself saying, "Come on, I will show you to your rooms."

I nodded and walked forward, Naruto behind me. As we walked down the hallway to the right I saw more masks and paintings hanging on the walls, and an occasional table with red flowers here and there.

When we passed by a blue door Nagato pointed at it and said, "This is my room," he then gestured over to the white door across from his door, "that would be Konan's room," and then he pointed to the red door next to his own saying, "and that would be Yahito's room."

I nodded and Naruto said, "Sorry, but can you just show us to our rooms? Sakura-chan and I are really tired from tonight and I have a feeling that it is well past midnight Nagato-san."

Nagato smiled and said, "Your rooms will be across from each other," he then walked a little ways down the hallway and we followed. He approached two dark wood doors and said, "Sakura-san yours will be the one on the right, and Naruto-san yours will be on the left. There should be some clothes in the drawers already for you to put on and sleep in."

I bowed and said, "Thank you so very much Nagato-san," I then stomped on Naruto's foot so that he could choke out, "Uh yeah what Sakura-chan said."

Nagato smiled and said, "You know where I am if you need me." He then walked down the hallway to his room.

I looked at Naruto and yawned, "Well I'm beat so I'm going to bed, see you in the morning."

Naruto nodded and said, "Kay…are you going to be alright?" at me questioning look he said, "Well, I mean, we have always slept next to each other for eight years…I'm just wondering if you will be alright on your own."

I smiled and looked into his deep blue eyes, the eyes of our father. "Don't worry Naruto-kun; I know your worried and all because you're my big brother. But really, you don't need to worry about every little thing that's different. I have a feeling that everything is going to change from here on out."

Naruto then shot forward and wrapped his strong arms around me whispering, "I won't let anything happen to you alright?"

I nodded into his chest and whispered, "Okay, sometimes I wonder how lucky I am to have a brother like you."

Naruto sighed into my hair and said, "Because I'm supposed to protect you, I made a lifelong promise to dad after all."

I nodded once more into his shoulder and pushed my arms into his chest, pulling away from him. I gave him a tired smile and walked to my door saying, "Goodnight Naruto-kun."

I heard Naruto open his door as he said, "Night Sakura-chan."

_**Akatsuki Orphanage: Morning**_

I woke to the sound of someone screaming at the top of their lungs. My green eyes flickered open, pink lashes fluttering. My long pink hair, out of its braid, was sprawled around the white bed. And my white knee length night gown was wrinkled from my tossing and turning.

I slowly raised my head up observing the white room with dark wood furniture around me. My head was starting to hurt from whoever was screaming downstairs. Whoever was screaming would be in for a nice punch in the face for I am _not_ a morning person.

I threw my fluffy white covers off of me and swung my legs to the side of the bed, getting up. My bare feet touched the hard wood floor making a small creak. I ran a delicate hand through my pink locks and walked to the door, opening it.

As I opened it the sound of screaming got louder. I carefully walked down the hallway and made my way to the stairs. I walked down them quickly, wanting to put an end to that infernal yelling.

As I walked through the maze of hallways I heard a, "What the hell do you mean Fish Face!" and walked over to that direction. My ears led me the kitchen, which was decorated similar to the house and had state of the art looking kitchen utensils and appliances with marble counters.

The sound of the noise was a silver haired man who only wore long black, silk looking pants and no shirt. He kept on yelling and swearing at a man with blue tinged skin, blue hair, a white shirt, and blue cotton pants with white fishes on them. The blue skinned man was glaring at the silver haired man while the silver haired one kept yelling profanities at him, something about going through his stuff.

I put my hands on my hips and took a deep breath before yelling, "HEY!"

This got both of the men's attention as they turned my way. The silver haired one looked at me with a smug smirk and the blue skinned one looked at me with curiosity. I huffed, "Some people are trying to sleep, so would you mind keeping it down please…that is unless you want a punch to the face."

The silver haired one smirked and said, "Like you could throw a fucking punch! Don't make me laugh Pinky."

I started to tap my foot and said in a strained voice, "Want to test tha-"

I was cut off by a gentle hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see Nagato smiling down at me, while his glance flickered to the two bickering men every once in a while.

He turned to the two men and said, "This is Sakura Namikaze, she and her brother are new here. So would you mind shutting up Hidan." The way Nagato said it sounded like it wasn't a suggestion; it was a full out command.

Hidan crossed his arms over his bare chest saying arrogantly, "I don't need to listen to you tomato head."

Nagato sighed and took his hand off my shoulder and gestured to the blue skinned one saying, "Well I guess I should introduce you to these two here, this is Kisame," Kisame waved a hand at me, "and the one with the foul mouth and manners would be Hidan."

Hidan just glared.

I nodded and said, "Nice to meet you I guess."

Kisame then said, "Likewise kid, how old are you, you look pretty young."

I ran a hand through my hair saying, "I'm sixteen."

He wolf whistled, "Looks like you're the youngest one here then."

I asked, "Well who's the oldest?"

"That would be me," Nagato answered from my side, "Konan, Yahito, and I are the oldest here at 23. Kisame and Hidan are 22, Itachi and Sasori are 20, and Deidara is 19. And then there is Itachi's little brother Sasuke, he is Naruto-san's age."

I nodded and said, "So there are only nine of you here? I'm guessing kids get adopted a lot then."

Kisame shook his head, "Naw, the Akatsuki Orphanage isn't really a place for kids to get adopted. Take me for example, I was here ever since I was ten years old and I haven't seen one couple come up here to look for a kid to take in. We're more like a big family here, and some of us would rather not split that up."

I smiled and said, "I like the sound of that."

Nagato nodded and asked, "Are you hungry Sakura-san?"

I looked at him and said happily, "Yeah, it's been a really long time since I've gotten a home cooked meal."

"Well in that case I can make you something Sakura-san, just sit at the table and wait." I followed Nagato's orders and went to sit at the dark cherry wood table. I saw Kisame sit across from me and Hidan sit next to him.

I closed my eyes and thought about how everything here was just wonderful. These people take us in, a couple of homeless kids with nothing to offer, and give us a home. And from what I've heard and seen so far I could tell that this was a close knit family, and I believe that they will welcome us with open arms if Naruto and I prove ourselves worthy.

Speaking of my older brother, I heard heavy footsteps walking towards the kitchen. I peeked open an eye and saw my older brother walking into the kitchen, his blond hair spiked every which way, and his white shirt and cotton pants rumpled up.

He yawned and automatically walked over to me and plopped down into the seat next to mine. I grinned and asked, "So did you have a nice sleep Naruto-kun?"

He mumbled, "Mm, that bed was _really_ comfortable Sakura-chan, it sure beats sleeping in the park. What about you?"

I smiled and drawled out, "Same here," I then poked him, "Naruto get your head off of the table, I want to introduce you to these two."

Naruto picked his head up sloppily from the table and rubbed at his eyes. Now that he was somewhat more awake I pointed at Kisame and said, "This is Kisame," I then pointed at Hidan, "and this is Hidan," I then spoke to Hidan and Kisame saying, "This would be my older brother Naruto Namikaze."

Hidan just gave a stiff nod and Kisame said, "So, no offense or anything, but what the hell happened to you two?" he finished, gesturing to my bandaged arm and Naruto's multiple cuts and bruises.

Naruto crossed his arms and said, "Got into a small fight, problem was that this guy had a gun and decided to shoot at my sister." Naruto's mood got instantly dark, so I tried to cheer him up saying, "It was a bullet graze; it didn't actually go straight through my arm Naruto-kun."

He huffed and sank a little lower into his chair. Hidan then laughed and said, "Looks like you pissed someone off! What the hell did two little kids like you do?"

I gave the silver haired man a small glare and said, "Nothing at all, the guy just wanted a fight I guess." I didn't completely trust these guys, and neither did Naruto, so I thought that it was a good idea to keep what Tobi wanted a secret. We only told Tsunade and Nagato that Tobi wanted our necklaces because I trusted Nagato, and it was pure instinct for us to tell an adult like Tsunade. Plus, if these men knew Tobi and were friends with him Naruto and I would be in deep trouble.

Nagato then walked to us with food in his hands. Naruto's eyes then got wide and his sulky mood disappeared. "Here's some rice, miso soup, and broiled salmon."

As soon as Nagato placed all of the food down Naruto and Hidan grabbed what they could and put it on the plates in front of them. Naruto, who was used to bad food, was savoring every little bit of food that went into his mouth. Hidan just ate as if there was no tomorrow.

I sighed and reached to get my share of rice, soup, and salmon. Kisame and Nagato followed. I started to eat, and I was amazed at how such a simple thing was so _good_. "Nagato-san, you're a really good cook you know?"

Nagato smiled and responded, "Thank you Sakura-san."

I then looked into Kisame's beady eyes and asked casually, "So when are Naruto-kun and I going to meet the others that live here?"

Kisame put his rice down and said, "Well Deidara should be coming down soon since he will smell the food, then Yahito and Konan will come down, and finally Sasuke and Itachi. They normally come down in that order most of the time unless they are off doing who knows what."

"What about the owners of this place?" I asked.

Nagato answered, "Jiraiya is on a business trip and Tsunade usually comes down at noon."

I gave a small laugh and said, "I hope that they like me and Naruto."

"I'm sure they will love you two Sakura-san."

**~Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in anyway just the plot of this story.**

**So what did you guys think?**

**I thought that I should already have Itachi and Sasuke there for reasons that you will find out soon! And Hidan may get somewhat annoying at times but I will make you all learn to love him :) And I just had to have Kisame wear those fishy pajama pants (couldn't resist).**

**You will meet everyone else in the next chapter!**

**Thank you to all those that reviewed and subscribed! Please review once again! It makes Shadow Rose2717 very happy…**


	4. Welcome to Akatsuki Orphanage PT 2

_**Akatsuki Orphanage **_

I sipped my miso soup, while occasionally popping a piece of pink salmon into my mouth. Nagato was truly an amazing cook, or maybe he wasn't that good and the taste of a home cooked meal just tasted great since I hadn't had any in eight years. Who knows, all I know is that I wasn't the only one at the table who thought it was good.

I looked to where Naruto was sitting next to me, to see that he was digging into his food, already on taking seconds. Kisame was eating a lot too, but he wasn't eating like a savage, at least he had some manners. Hidan was like Naruto, not caring how barbaric he was looking as he ate buckets loads of food. And Nagato was eating quietly and nicely like me, I already knew that he and I would be good friends in no time.

The sudden sound of heavy footfalls brought my attention to the entryway to the kitchen. I looked behind me to see a man with black pajama bottoms and a white shirt with 'Art is BANG' imprinted on it in big lettering. His hair is what really caught my eye though. It was stark blond, almost yellow, and was in a high pony tail, and a thick bang of long hair hung over his left eye.

"Told ya he would come down next," Kisame said.

I nodded at the blue skinned man, turning my attention back to Deidara. He took notice of Naruto and me immediately and asked, "Whose pinky and blondie?"

I huffed in annoyance at what he called us, and before I could retort Nagato said evenly, "Sakura and Naruto Namikaze, they will be staying with us now."

Deidara nodded and plopped down in the seat next to me. He smiled at me and said, "Name's Deidara, nice to meet you Sakura."

I pushed back my annoyance at his nicknames and gave him a small smile saying, "Likewise Deidara-san."

Deidara nodded and then grabbed a plate filling it with food. He ate like a normal human being, thank Kami, but every once in a while he would turn and smile at Naruto and I. I really didn't know why he was but it was freaking me out.

As I ate more rice I asked Deidara, "So, Deidara-san how long have you been here?"

Deidara sighed and said, "Since I was about ten. My parents decided to leave me since I wasn't much of any use to them. What about you, un?"

I ran a hand through my long pink locks nervously, luckily for me it was Naruto who answered. My blond haired brother put down his food and looked gravely at Deidara, "Our parents were murdered."

My eyes dimmed a little, remembering the horror of that day. We didn't see our parent die, but we heard it and saw their dead bodies lying on the floor. Even after eight years I still had nightmares.

Deidara looked at Naruto and me sadly saying in a soft voice, "That's never a good thing to hear, un. But you're not the only ones who had their parents murdered."

Kisame sighed, "Yeah, Itachi and his little brother, Sasuke, saw their parents killed right before their eyes by their own family. And Sasori's parents were killed by some thugs."

I looked at the people present at the table and said morosely, "Looks like everyone here has some major trauma."

"Got that right," Hidan piped up.

I looked at my brother to see that he stopped eating. The anniversary of our parent's death was only yesterday, and it still hurt us both. I put my hand gently on Naruto's shoulder and said, "Don't you think mom and dad would want us to stop worrying for once in our lives. We're safe here, right?"

Naruto's bright blue eyes looked into my emerald ones and he just nodded, a small grin adorning his features. I could feel that the atmosphere at the table had just gotten below freezing. Everyone was either looking at Naruto and I with understanding, or they were in their own little worlds.

Thinking that I had to do something to cheer everyone up, I asked, "So…what is it that everyone does here exactly?"

At this Deidara brightened up a bit and said, "We do whatever we want, un. Most of the time we train since we all know how to fight and we want to protect ourselves. Do you and Naruto know how to fight?"

Naruto answered happily, "Are you kidding? Sakura-chan and I can fight off anyone that comes our way…except guys with guns."

I laughed nervously at Naruto's whispered ending and said, "Our parents were really great fighters. Our father, Minato, ran his own little dojo where he taught kids to protect themselves."

"Your father sounded like a cool guy," Kisame said popping some more rice into his mouth.

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah, he was the best. He rarely ever lost his temper and he was an awesome dad. Our mom on the other hand had quiet the temper…"

I laughed and said, "And I inherited that temper, remember that Naruto-kun."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and said, "I know you have mom's temper, no doubt about it."

I smiled and leaned back into my comfortable chair to only hear the name Konan whined. I turned my head to the entryway to see a beautiful, blue haired woman with a white nightgown, much like my own, on; her honey eyes and piercings standing out. On her right, stood a man with orange hair pointing out in all directions, like Naruto's, and he wore a white tee shirt and black silk bottoms; brown eyes poking out from under the unruly orange hair.

I gave them a questioning look when their gaze was turned to Naruto and I, but before I could say anything the blue haired women asked, "Are you two new here?"

I was about to answer but Nagato answered for me, "Yes, this is Sakura Namikaze," he said gently gesturing to me, "and this is her brother Naruto Namikaze," he said gesturing to Naruto, "They will be staying at the orphanage."

Konan smiled at me and said happily, "Oh, I'm so happy that there is another girl here! I'm not stuck around boys anymore."

I smiled at her and said, "It's nice to meet you Konan-san."

She walked over to the table, sat next to Nagato, and smiled saying, "Same here Sakura-san."

The orange haired man then walked up behind Naruto and me and said, "Hey, I'm Yahito."

Naruto nodded saying, "Nice to meet you carrot top."

At this I hit Naruto over the head, at which he started to whine and I growled, "You baka, you don't say that to someone you never met before."

"Sorry Sakura-chan," Naruto whined.

I huffed and laid back in my seat, and turning my head to Yahito I said, "Sorry about my brother, he really doesn't have the best manners."

The orange haired man smiled nervously at me and said, "That's okay…you pack quiet a punch don't you?"

I gave him my brightest smile and said, "Got it from my mother."

At this he shook his head in mirth and went to sit next to Konan, putting Konan in the middle of Nagato and Yahito.

The two new comers then got their plates and started to eat. The conversation from there was pretty tame with the others asking Naruto and me questions, plus there was the occasional swear from Hidan here and there. These people seemed truly kind, and I was beginning to kind of trust them. Konan was very kind and sweet, Yahito could be loud but he was nice enough, Kisame was becoming one of my favorites with his humor (and the fish printed pants were awesome), Deidara was also one of my favorites because he was around my age and listened to me (plus he was sweet), Hidan was okay, he just swore a lot, and I already trusted Nagato.

I looked into my brother's face to try and get a reading from him. He looked less guarded, and he was enjoying bantering with the others and teasing them. Every once in a while he would observe, but then he would jump right back into a conversation that he found funny or interesting.

All we needed now was to meet the last three people living here; Itachi, Sasuke, and Sasori.

As if on cue I heard the soft footfalls coming up from behind me. While everyone was talking I turned my head, pulling my long pink stands out my face as well, and saw three men walk into the room. I could tell that the two raven haired ones were defiantly brothers, the only difference was the length of their hair and how they held themselves; the younger looking one had a look of arrogance in his eyes while the elder one had a softer look in his eyes. The red head looked bored at first glance, but when he saw me I could see a glint of curiosity behind those brown eyes. The two brothers both wore black shirts and black silk bottoms, while the red head wore a white shirt and tan bottoms.

When the younger raven haired one looked at me he asked, "Who are you?"

At his question some of the conversation at the table stopped, but not all of it. Naruto heard the young man's cold voice and looked at him with a small glare. I gave him an even stare and said, "I'm Sakura Namikaze, and this is my brother Naruto-kun," I pointed to Naruto, "We're staying here at the orphanage."

Sasuke gave a small 'hn' and went to sit next to Hidan. What the hell was his deal?

A smooth voice pulled me out of my small seething saying, "I'm sorry about my brother's coldness, he tends to get that way. I'm Itachi Uchiha and my rude little brother is Sasuke. It is nice to know that we have someone new here Sakura-san, Naruto-san."

I looked at the handsome long raven haired man, who was giving me a small smirk. I nodded at him and said, "It's not a big deal, and nice to meet you too Itachi-san."

Itachi nodded and went to sit next his brother. Then the red haired man sat next to Deidara while saying, "And I'm Sasori, pleased to meet you two siblings."

Naruto nodded and, "Yeah, same here Sasori, Itachi…can't say the same about teme over there though," Naruto finished directing his gaze over to Sasuke.

Sasuke glared at him, but said nothing as he grabbed his food.

Deidara, Kisame, Yahito, Hidan, and I snickered at Naruto's comment at Sasuke. I didn't feel like hitting Naruto in the head for the comment, probably because I agreed completely. How could his brother be so kind and have great manners while his were in the gutter.

We all started to eat and talk again. Naruto and Sasuke glared at each other every so often, Deidara and Sasori were arguing about art, Kisame and Hidan were fighting like earlier, Konan and Yahito talked, and only Itachi, Nagato, and I remained silent and watched. I always liked to observe the people around me, and since I would be living with them it made since to get to know how they acted around one another.

I finished my breakfast, along with Itachi, and we both stood up to put our plates in the sink. When I set mine in there I turned around, all intentions of going to the shower and changing in my mind. But a sudden tap on my shoulder turned me back around, and I was face to face with Itachi Uchiha.

He smirked at me and asked, "I was wondering, to make up for my brothers actions, if when you are dressed and ready that you would like a tour of the orphanage."

I thought about Naruto first, wondering if he might want to come too. But when I looked at him I saw him in a heated conversation with Yahito, so I decided that he could get a tour later.

So I nodded and smiled up at Itachi and said, "I would love that, thanks Itachi-san."

Itachi nodded and said, "I will be waiting for you in the front room when you are done."

I nodded and walked back up to my room, where I went to the bathroom first. I discarded my white nightgown and necklace, and then turned on the shower. When the water was warm enough I hopped in and started to clean myself. It was amazing that there was already shampoo, conditioner, and soap in there waiting for me to use it. It seems that every room was always stocked with the basics.

When I was done I wrapped a fluffy white towel around me and started to dry myself off. While I let my hair air dry, I put my green crystal necklace back on and went to look in the closet to see what was there.

When I opened the white door (it was a walk-in one) I saw that there was half a side for men's clothes, and the other half for women. I turned to the women's half and looked at all the garments; it consisted of jeans, dresses, tee shirts, tank tops, jackets, practically everything you would need. Most of the colors were white, black, red, or purple. I settled for some dark jeans and a red fitted top, putting a black zip up hoodie over it.

Feeling comfortable and clean, I finished by brushing out my straight pink hair and putting it into a high pony tail, letting loose strands fall over my face.

I sighed and walked out of my room and down to the front room where Itachi said he would be waiting. I really didn't think that he needed to give me a tour, but the look in his eyes genially wanted me to say yes. Itachi seemed like a nice guy, and a great friend to have. Plus being as handsome as he is was a plus for me…as long as Naruto didn't find out though.

When I entered the front room I saw that there was a grand black piano in the corner with white Victorian styled furniture placed there. The drapes were blood red and the floor a dark wood. This house was a mix of Japanese and western culture, and I loved it!

I looked at one of the sofas and saw Itachi lounging on it, his black hair in a neat low pony tail, and he wore black jeans with a black tee shirt.

I walked over to him and he looked up at me and said, "You clean up well Sakura-san."

I smiled and said, "You too Itachi-san."

"Itachi."

My eyes looked into his onyx ones as I asked, "Huh?"

"Itachi," he repeated, "you may call me Itachi Sakura-san. We will be living together so there is no need for such formality."

I nodded and added, "Fine, but that means you can call me just Sakura."

He nodded and got up from the couch saying, "Well, Sakura, let me show you around the Akatsuki Orphanage."

**~Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, just the plot of the story**

**So what did you think? I wanted to make it slightly shorter than the rest so that there would be more room for Itachi and Sakura bonding time! Plus I want her to bond with the others as well.**

**Tell me what you thought of it! As in review…**

**Thanks to those that have reviewed and subscribed!**


	5. The Garden

_**Akatsuki Orphanage**_

Itachi was leading me to the back of the house, more like mansion, now. He said that the best place in this gigantic home was the outside garden, with a small pond and my namesake as well. Itachi was a well-mannered young man and very kind from what I observed. But I saw something different in his eyes. In those black orbs I saw pain and hurt that he constantly tried to keep inside.

Yeah, I know being able to know that just from looking into his eyes is weird, but Naruto and I have been able to do that ever since our parents died. We could tell what a person truly felt just by looking into their eyes, and we sometimes knew if danger was around the corner. How do think Naruto and I are still alive and kicking?

I then looked back up at Itachi again, there was something about him, I don't know what it was, but it was something that seemed different. It was something that made me want to get to know him better, become his friend. Plus, it has been awhile since Naruto and I had true friends, so this would be a very nice change.

"And here we are," Itachi said pulling me out of my reverie. He then reached in front of him and pulled the sliding door to the right, and revealed the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

The garden had long, winding paths of stones, and at the end of the stone path there was a small pond with a couple of koi fish. Different kinds of flowers were everywhere as well; there were blues, reds, yellows, violets, whites, oranges, and even some black flowers popping up everywhere. And then there was the cherry blossom tree, in full bloom, overlooking the pond with a small stone bench beneath it.

I looked at Itachi, a smile on my face, and exclaimed, "This is amazing Itachi! Everything is just so beautiful and calm."

Itachi nodded at me and gave a smirk, "Would you like to sit under the cherry blossom tree?"

I nodded happily and he led me down a stone path to the tree and pond. As we got closer I looked into the clear water of the pond and saw that there were black and white koi fish circling each other, with an occasional orange koi fish swimming.

Itachi then took a seat on the stone bench, and I followed sitting next to him. Everything was just so breathtaking, that I didn't even hear Itachi talking to me. But I sudden tap on my shoulder got my attention.

I turned wide eyed at the elder Uchiha and asked shrewdly, "Sorry did you say something?"

Itachi smirked and said, "I asked if you are pleased with the orphanage."

At this I gave a small laugh, "How could anyone not love this place? For someone like me that hasn't had a stable home in eight years, this is paradise."

Itachi nodded and said, "I'm happy to hear that Sakura."

I nodded and went back to watching the koi fish circle each other in a dance. Everything was calm and _safe_ here. Naruto and I wouldn't be attacked here, I just knew it. I barely knew these people and I already trusted some of them, which was totally unlike me. This place was truly special.

I don't know what exactly made me ask the question, but I did anyways, turning to Itachi I asked, "So how did you end up here Itachi?"

At the question I could see Itachi's eyes darken slightly, so I said quickly, "You don't need to tell me anything if you don't want to…I mean it's just that the others told me that your parents were killed too, so we have something in common."

At this Itachi's ears perked and he asked, "Were you there to witness it?"

At this I stumbled over my words saying, "Well yes…and no."

Itachi gave me a questioning look so I said with a sigh, "My parents somehow knew who these people were, so they took me and Naruto-kun to the back room and hid us in a hidden compartment in the wall. We didn't see them die, but we heard them fight and later we saw their…bodies."

I didn't even realize that I was crying until a smooth finger was on my cheek, wiping away the tear. I looked up at him and said, "Sorry, it's just that yesterday was the day they died…so yeah."

Itachi looked at me intensely and said in a calm voice, "Since my question has caused you to cry, it is only fair that I tell you what happened to my parents."

I was about to protest, but he already started to talk, "Sasuke's and my parents were killed in front of us by our uncles, for a reason we are not entirely sure of."

He said everything so perfectly, as if it was no big deal, but the eyes showed something different. There was anger and malice behind those kind eyes. He was trying to cover up his pain and hurt over everything. I would probably be livid if my uncles( if I had any to speak of) killed my parents right before my eyes, yet he tried to act like he accepted everything; he hadn't.

I didn't know what to do so I just settled for putting a hand on his shoulder and said softly, "You know, it's alright to show emotion. I know that I don't know you at all, and we are suddenly confessing all of these important things to each other…but I want to be your friend Itachi, and I always find it helpful to express my feelings, just ask Naruto-kun."

Itachi seemed to absorb all of the information, and then he slowly turned to me and said, "Thank you for your understanding Sakura, and I would also like to be your friend."

I smiled at him and then said, "Well then, shall we continue with the tour?"

He smirked at me and got off the bench, and he then stuck his hand out to me. I took his hand within my own and he pulled me up easily.

When we exited the garden he showed me the multiple living rooms, where the others rooms were (his was on the first floor next to Sasuke's), the large training room, the dining room, three art rooms (used mostly by Deidara and Sasori), and finally a music room. All of the rooms had the same colors, red, white, and black, with the similar masks and paintings hanging on the walls with red flowers popping up every so often. And they all had similar furniture that was simple and comfortable.

When we entered the music room I observed that the only thing in the room was two pianos, one white and one black. I gave him a questioning look and he said, "Konan and I only play the piano, no else plays any other instrument, so we have no need for others."

I nodded and asked, "Do you mind if I asked you to play something?"

He smirked and walked over to the black piano saying, "Not at all."

When he sat down he raised his hands up to the keys and started to move his fingers fluently along the keyboard. He played a graceful and soothing song, it was beautiful. His hands were moving elegantly and skillfully across the keys that I had yet to take my eyes off of them.

When he finished I grinned and gave a clap saying, "That was beautiful, how often do you play?"

He gave a small shrug and said, "Whenever I am bored or when I want to relax."

"Well what do you do when you're not bored?" I inquired.

"I normally train, or hang out with my little brother or Kisame," he answered evenly.

At the mention of his brother I just had to ask, "I don't want to sound rude or anything, but what the hell is your brother's deal with Naruto-kun and me?"

Itachi sighed at this, "Sasuke…he doesn't like new people very much, and there is the fact that he can become very bitter at times, and that he is not one to trust others easily."

I then went to sit on the piano bench with him and asked, "Will he be that way to me and Naruto-kun for a while, because I can tell you right now that Naruto-kun will try to bash his head in. I may have a short temper, but that doesn't mean that I will be the one beating up your little brother."

Itachi gave a small smirk and said, "Well, Naruto-san and Sasuke are both the same age, so it's expected for them to fight every once in a while. And by what you have told me of your older brother he seems like he can hold himself in a fight, but so can Sasuke."

I leaned forward towards the piano keys and said, "I think it would be pretty entertaining to see those two's fights, Naruto-kun and I are natural fighters and Sasuke seems as if he would be the kind of guy who was trained to fight."

Itachi nodded his head and said, "You are correct about Sasuke being trained, I trained him to fight ever since our parents were murdered," his eyes then had a glint in them as he asked, " and would you mind if I asked if you wanted to test that natural fighting skill you and your brother have?"

I nodded at this and said, "Yeah, but we probably won't be as good as we usually are since we both got hurt yesterday." I didn't expect Itachi to know this since I had a hoodie over my bandaged arm.

Itachi's eyes then held question so I said quickly, "Naruto-kun and I got in a fight yesterday, he got a lot of cuts and bruises, and I got a bullet graze on my arm."

Itachi's eyes widened only slightly at my words, then he said, "Then I insist that I test your skills another day, you-"

He was suddenly cut off by a loud crash. When the crash sounded I jumped up from the bench and said, "What was that?"

Itachi stood up slowly and said, "It came from the training room, let's see what has happened."

I nodded and he led the way through the winding halls of the orphanage and towards the training room. As we got closer I could hear multiple shouts, I then asked Itachi nervously, "Does this normally happen?"

Itachi nodded and said, "Usually it is Kisame and Hidan fighting, but they don't throw anything except punches."

I then slapped my forehead and sighed, "I'm going to kick Naruto-kun's ass."

Itachi gave me a questioning look as we approached the training room, so I said, "Naruto-kun tends to throw things when he gets angry, and I have a feeling that he is the one shouting, and your brother is on the receiving end."

Itachi said nothing as he opened the door to reveal Naruto growling at Sasuke, and Sasuke glaring daggers at Naruto. There were wood sticks tossed around and broken in two and some broken glass that was probably a vase.

I really didn't know what to say, so I just face palmed and shook my head. This was our first day here and Naruto was already causing trouble. I wouldn't be surprised if they kicked us out.

"Sasuke, what is the meaning of this?" Itachi's cold even voice cut in.

Sasuke, still seething, grounded out, "None of your business brother."

I then turned my heavy gaze to my older brother and grumbled, "Naruto-kun, you better explain right now and quick. I'm not afraid to send you through a wall, even with my wound."

At this Naruto un-tensed and looked at me with wide blue eyes and said, "Teme here was just being all high and mighty about how great he is, and how weird looking you and me were, so I had to put him in his place Sakura-chan."

At this I shook my head and walked over to Naruto, "You baka, your still hurt from last night. Plus, trying to _put someone in their place_ isn't the best way to make an impression, and you don't need to beat up someone who makes fun of how we look."

I then saw Itachi walk over to the other side of the room towards Sasuke. He then said to his little brother, "That was foolish of you Sasuke, I thought that I taught you better than to make fun of someone for something as petty as looks. There had to be something more to make you retaliate like that though." It was a command saying, _there is more to the story, tell me now._

Sasuke glared at his older brother, "Back off Itachi, that dobe over just doesn't know when to shut his mouth."

At his words I got instantly defensive and turned sharply on the young Uchiha, "_You_ don't know when to shut your mouth Sasuke-san. Don't just walk all over my brother as if he's nothing."

Sasuke sneered at me and said, "You know nothing about me, so you have no right to tell me what to do pinky. You're the foolish one if you think you and that idiot of a brother can just waltz in here and act like you are a part of this place."

Tired of his superior attitude, I walked over to him and poked him in the chest saying, "And you don't know Naruto-kun and me. Why don't you pull that fifty foot stick in your ass out, and learn to say an actual kind word to someone," I then turned to Naruto, "Come on Naruto-kun we're going to eat some lunch."

He was about to argue with me, but I didn't give him any chance as I took his hand and dragged him down the hall while saying, "Thanks for the tour Itachi."

When we entered the kitchen I sighed and said, "Look, we can't create trouble the first day we're here, so what exactly did you say?"

Naruto looked me in the eyes and said, "You don't need to stand up for me all the time Sakura-chan, that's my job."

I sighed and went to the cupboards, "Naruto-kun, I really like it here, and I know you do too, so how about we both try to at least be as civil as we can to the Uchiha."

Naruto huffed, "That guy's an asshole, and I rather not tell you the whole story."

"Whatever," I said in defeat. I then reached up into one of the many cabinets and saw some instant ramen. I pulled it out and said, "Does ramen sound good for lunch?"

Naruto beamed at this and exclaimed, "Of course it is Sakura-chan!"

I then popped it in the microwave and went to look for some bowls and chopsticks, problem was that there were so many cabinets to look in. I started to look and by the time I was on my fifth one I heard someone walk behind me, and I instantly knew it wasn't Naruto. I looked up to see a man with tangled red hair, a white tee shirt and black sweat pants; Sasori.

I looked up at him and asked, "Sorry, but could you tell me where the bowls and chopsticks are?"

Sasori smirked at me and reached for the cabinet on my left, pulling out two white bowls, and then he went to the drawer behind the both of us and got two pairs of chopsticks out.

He handed them to me and I said, "Thank you Sasori-san."

I then saw Naruto get up and get the ramen from the now beeping microwave and he said to me, "Come one Sakura-chan."

I nodded and was about to leave Sasori but the red haired man spoke up, "Would you mind if I joined you and Naruto-san for lunch?"

I smiled at him and said, "No I wouldn't, it would be nice to get to know everyone anyways."

He nodded at me and went to get his own food, some leftovers from last night's dinner apparently. He warmed it up and brought it to the table sitting across from Naruto and me.

He then looked at my brother and me and asked, "So how do you like this place so far?"

"Well, Itachi gave me a tour and I loved every inch of the house, especially the garden," I then glanced at Naruto and said, "but I don't think my brother had as much luck as me."

Naruto stopped eating his ramen and said, "Teme started it, not me."

I gave him a look and said, "Sure, I'll believe that for now, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did start it."

Sasori smirked at us and said, "I'm guessing teme is Sasuke, am I right?"

I nodded and said, "I have a feeling that he really hates me and Naruto-kun now more than ever."

Sasori shrugged as he popped in some fish into his mouth and said, "Sasuke doesn't normally get along with others. He is very different from his brother in that way. And why would he now hate you more than ever?"

"I'm not sure about Naruto-kun but I said that Sasuke-san had a fifty foot stick up his ass. And what I don't get," I said while slurping my ramen, " is that Itachi's kind and Sasuke's just a jerk."

Sasori looked with bored eyes at me and said, "Itachi can still become a very angry person, but he does not let it rule his life as Sasuke does. Sasuke wants revenge on the men who killed his parents while Itachi would rather put revenge behind him. And I like the insult."

"Yeah I just wanted to yell BURN! But I think Sakura-chan would've put me through a wall," Naruto said in a happy voice, "But just because he wants revenge or something doesn't give him the right to act like an ass," Naruto said coarsely.

Trying to get off the subject of Sasuke I asked Sasori, "So, can you tell me and Naruto-kun more about the ones who own this place?"

Sasori smirked and said, "Well, Nagato told me that you already met Tsunade. I can tell you that she has a very short temper, especially when it comes to Jiraiya or people she finds annoying. But she can also be kind when one of us gets hurt considering she is a doctor. Jiraiya on the other hand…"

Seeing that Sasori was trailing off Naruto asked, "What about Jiraiya?"

Sasori sighed and said, "The only reason this place is as large and grand as it is, is because of the multiple hospitals that Tsunade owns, and the…_books_ that Jiraiya writes and sells. Jiraiya's books are the mature type."

At the shaky way he used mature I got the point instantly; Jiraiya wrote some _nasty_ books. My older brother didn't get it though as he asked dumbly, "What do you mean by mature?"

Sasori sighed, so I saved him the embarrassment and said, "He means that Jiraiya-san writes porn."

Naruto's face started to turn red as he coughed on his ramen, now choking. I couldn't help but give a little giggle at Naruto's coughing, even Sasori smirked.

Then Naruto wheezed out, "So he's a pervy old man then?"

Now I was full out laughing at my brother's stupidity. I couldn't wait to see the meeting between Jiraiya and Naruto.

Sasori looked at me and asked, "I'm guessing that he is normally like this?"

I laughed out, "Yeah he is," then a sudden question popped into my mind, "what does Jiraiya-san look like?"

"He's a very tall man with long white spiky hair, and he also has red stripes running down his face from his eyes…and he normally has this creepy grin on every once in a while."

When he gave the description of Jiraiya something in my mind lit up. The way he described him sounded familiar, and I think Naruto thought so too since he stopped eating his ramen and was in deep thought.

I looked at my brother and asked, "He kind of sounds like the man who came to our house to talk to dad and play around with us, right Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah," he said slowly, "dad always said that the man was his teacher," he then looked at Sasori, "Sorry but he just sounds like someone that Sakura-chan and I used to know."

Sasori nodded and said, "Who knows, maybe Jiraiya was the man you used to see when you were younger, he does leave a lot for business besides his books, he'll be back tomorrow or in two days I believe."

I nodded, eager to know who Jiraiya was. After that we ate our lunch and talked of the others in the orphanage.

I learned that Deidara loved art just as much as Sasori, but the blond haired artist believed that art was fleeting while Sasori thought it was eternal. Sasori told me about Kisame and his love of fish (and how he wanted to save them, that's why he rarely ate fish unless he was forced to eat it) and that the blue skinned and haired man was very close to Itachi. Hidan was a religious freak, who prayed at least five times a day, and he had a very big swearing problem (one that Tsunade would put him in his place afterwards) and he always loved a good fight. And I also learned that Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan were the first orphans found by Jiraiya and Tsunade and they were in charge when Tsunade and Jiraiya weren't here.

"What about teme and his brother?" Naruto inquired after Sasori was done talking about the others.

Sasori looked with lazy eyes at Naruto and said, "The Uchiha brothers, when they first came, kept to themselves. Itachi would always be near Sasuke, and Sasuke put Itachi on a pedestal. As time went on, Itachi started to talk to Kisame first then the rest of us. I consider Itachi a good friend of mine now. But when Itachi became more social to the others, Sasuke was upset and that upset turned to resentment."

"Were they the last ones to come here before us?" I asked curious.

"Yes, they came here when Itachi was 13, a year after their parents were murdered. The rest of us were here at younger ages. I myself was found by Jiraiya when I saw six."

I looked at him with and understanding gaze and asked, "Your parents were murdered like mine and Naruto-kun's were?"

Sasori nodded slowly, "Truthfully I don't remember much of them, only that they were kind people. They were killed by some thugs on our way home from a visit to my grandmother; they hid me in the alleyway so that I wouldn't be seen by the thugs."

Naruto looked at Sasori and asked easily, "Why are you here instead of with your grandma?" I listened intently, curious about it too.

"My grandmother and my parents weren't exactly on the best terms with one another. When my parents were killed I ran, and Jiraiya found me. Ever since then I have had no idea where my grandmother has been."

"That's sad," I whispered.

Sasori shrugged, "I would rather be here than with a woman I barely knew. This place is special to me, and I don't mind the people here."

"That's a pretty nice way to look at it I guess," Naruto said finishing is third bowl of ramen.

I smiled at Sasori and said, "I hope that Naruto-kun and I will be able to find that same feeling here, I already love it so I don't see why not."

Naruto then got up from the table and went to wash off his bowl, and I went to do the same, but before I did I walked up to Sasori and said, "Since I'm going to be washing my bowl I thought that I could take your plate."

Sasori smirked and handed his plate to me saying, "Thank you Sakura-san."

I nodded and grabbed the plate and said, "You can call me just Sakura, Sasori-san."

Sasori, smirk still on his face said, "And you may call me Sasori."

I smiled and walked up next to my brother and started to wash the dishes in the very large sink. I nudged at his hip and said, "So how is everything, you know besides the whole Sasuke thing?"

Naruto snickered and said, "I like it here, and I'm glad you made us go with Nagato."

I grinned and said, "Ha, I'm always right!"

Naruto gave me a playful glare and splashed some water onto my arms saying, "I'm the older brother, so _I'm_ always right."

"Oh so you want to play that way," I said and then I splashed some water onto his orange shirt, "fine then."

Naruto then took the faucet, which could be taken out from its socket, and turned the water off. "I'm older so I win."

He then turned the water on, dishes now completely forgotten, and sprayed me with the sink faucet. I screamed a little and yelled, "You jerk, stop it!"

Hoping that I could get out of the way I ducted, but Naruto being Naruto, didn't follow me with the water, instead he kept it where I once was. I heard a small grunt and then stood up to see that Sasori, like me, was now soaked in water.

Naruto, seeing what he did, turned off the water and put the faucet back in its place. He then rubbed the back of his head and said, "Sorry about that Sasori, hehe."

Sasori glared at him and turned his gaze to me saying, "While your brother cleans up this mess, how about you come with me and we can dry off."

I nodded at him gratefully, and then turned sharply to my brother and said, "This better be cleaned up by the time Sasori and I come back."

Naruto nodded up and down nervously fast and said, "Yes, Sakura-chan, I-I will."

I gave him one last slightly playful glare and then turned to Sasori and walked towards him. When I got to his side I said, "Sorry about my brother and me, we tend to goof off sometimes but he takes it a little too far in the end."

Sasori nodded in understanding and said, "That would usually be how Deidara acts whenever he and I fight. Now come, I'll take you too my workshop I have some towels in there."

I nodded and followed him down the halls, hoping that Naruto would actually clean up the mess of water.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters, just the plot of this story**

**~So what did you all think? I really want Sakura to have someone one-on-one time with all of them if possible. So Itachi is done and now onto Sasori, where I think I will have Deidara pop up in the next chapter.**

**And I thought that Naruto needed a break from being serious so the water fight was good for him:)**

**Thank you to all that reviewed and subscribed! Please review again!**

**(tell me what you think of the characters so far)**


	6. A Common Liking

_**Akatsuki Orphanage**_

I was now in Sasori work room, the place where he made his puppets. There were many wood desks with wood shavings on them, tools placed neatly to the side, and puppet parts strewn around. The wall was a cream color and the floors were still the dark wood. I followed Sasori to the back where some cabinets were. He opened the third cabinet slowly and then pulled out two white fluffy towels.

He handed one to me and said, "Here you are."

I smiled and took the towel from him saying, "Thanks."

I then started to dry off my long hair first, trying to wring all of the water out of it. I then took off my black hoodie to reveal a thoroughly soaked red fitted top and my wet bandage. I sighed and went to take off my bandage, and I took note that Sasori was watching me now while drying off his shaggy red hair. I guess he was curious as to what my wound looked like.

But he was disappointed because my wound had already healed, smooth skin covering it. "Is there a place where I can throw this away," I asked raising the slightly blood stained bandage.

Sasori nodded and took the bandage from me and threw it in a trash can behind him. He then asked me, "I heard from Kisame that you got a bullet graze yesterday, is there a reason as to why there is no mark on your arm Sakura?"

I shrugged while still drying myself off, "I really don't remember how long it was like this, but Naruto-kun and I are _really_ fast healers. When it takes someone normally to heal for say five days, it only takes a day or even a couple of hours."

"That is a great trait to have Sakura," Sasori smirked, "I think that everyone here would love to be able to heal so easily."

My eyes widened a bit as I asked, "Do you guys normally get hurt then?"

Sasori looked me in the eyes and said, "We train plenty, so we tend to injure each other, and then Tsunade heals us. She complains most of the time about how we use up more of her time then what her hospitals do."

"Am I going to see her at all today?"

"Probably not until dinner, since she tends to come down around noon, which is indeed now. But I believe that she and Kisame had a drinking contest last night so she will be quiet hung over."

I sweat dropped and groaned out, "Does she drink a lot?"

Sasori smirked and said, "Yes, as well as gamble horribly."

"That's just perfect," I murmured.

Sasori started to snicker, but a sudden voice cut in saying, "Oi, Sasori I need some more clay, you want to go into town with me and get more supply?"

I looked towards the door and saw that Deidara was there in a simple white shirt with blue jeans and sneakers, his hair tied up as well. His eyes shifted from Sasori to me as he asked, "What are you doing here Sakura? And why are you both wet, un?"

My eyes narrowed as I said, "My brother decided it would be funny to get the both of us soaked so we are drying off at the moment."

Deidara then started to laugh, "I knew I liked that Naruto kid!"

"Please refrain from yelling in my workshop Deidara," Sasori said in a bored tone.

"Whatever, un," Deidara said off handily, "Anyways do you want to go into town," he then turned his gaze to me and smiled, "you can come too Sakura."

I nodded and said, "Well as soon as I get into dry clothes I will."

"I guess I will come to then," Sasori sighed.

"Great! We can get some lunch while we're there. I'll meet you guys out front, un," Deidara said happily and then walked out of the room.

I then handed my towel to Sasori and said, "Thanks again for the towel Sasori."

"Anytime Sakura."

I smiled and walked out of his workshop while saying, "I'll see you soon."

I heard him grunt in confirmation as I headed out. I then walked to where the staircase was and walked up them fast, only to run into someone. I was falling backwards, my wet hair falling forward, but strong arms reached out and caught me by the arms, it all felt like slow motion.

I closed my eyes shut for a second, embarrassed inside my savior's arms, and then fluttered them open to look at the person who saved me from falling. And I saw Itachi.

Now I was really embarrassed, he probably thought I was a klutz, which I'm _not_, only half the time. But that's irrelevant. His arms then slowly let me go and he asked, "Are you alright Sakura?"

I put a hand behind my head and said nervously, "Uh, yeah, sorry about that Itachi and thanks."

He gave me a strange look as he took in my appearance, "Why are you wet?"

"It was Naruto, no need to go into details."

"Alright, and I was looking for you."

I gave him a weird look and he said, "I wanted to apologize for my brother's actions. They were rude and completely wrong. I hope you aren't offended by what he said."

I gave him a small smile and said, "Don't worry about him; he just needs to learn to be social. And it takes more than that to make me offended, I didn't take what he said to heart I guess is what I'm trying to say."

Itachi gave me a smirk and said, "Very good, now I guess I should let you pass."

I nodded and said, "Yeah I need to get changed so that I can head into town with Sasori and Deidara-san." And before he could question me I ran up the stairs to my room and slid in.

I tossed off my clothes and went back into the huge closets, but I was thinking about Itachi. He seemed to be apologizing for Sasuke a lot, and I think Sasuke is a big boy so he can say he's sorry himself. That was unless that he was a complete asshole with too much pride to even say sorry. Itachi shouldn't be doing everything for Sasuke; he probably did it because he was kind and a good older brother like Naruto.

I grabbed some skinny jeans and pulled them on, and then I grabbed a plain tan bra putting it on as well. A blouse caught my eye, so grabbed hold of the white top and pulled it over my head, and after that I went to put on my own black converse. I then walked into the bathroom and looked around for something to tie my hair up in. I found a red ribbon, so gathered up my damp hair and pulled it into a high pony tail after brushing it.

Looking at the mirror to inspect my appearance I nodded in approval and headed down the stairs, much slower this time to avoid falling down again. When I reached the bottom of the staircase I saw Sasori coming around the corner now in a red shirt and jeans. He looked up at me and said, "Deidara's outside, we'll be taking my car to town."

I nodded and followed him down the hallways to the garage. When he opened it I was amazed that there were eight cars of all different colors and shapes. Most of them were sports cars but some were a little more practical.

My eyes widened as I said, "Oh I can already see Naruto-kun's face."

"He is a fan of cars I take it then?" Sasori said from beside me.

I nodded and said, "He's never driven before, but he loves cars."

My eyes then zeroed in on the three motorcycles off to the side. I asked my voice laced with curiosity, "Who has the bikes?"

"Itachi, Hidan, and Sasuke," was Sasori's answer.

I nodded and followed him to where a cherry red Lamborghini with black stripes was sitting. I asked in amazement, "This, is your car?"

He nodded.

"How do all of you afford these cars?"

He smirked at my curiousness and said calmly, "Like I said, Jiraiya and Tsunade have plenty of money, so we normally get what we want when we're good."

"Their amazing," was all I could say.

He said nothing as he reached into his pocket and pulled out keys unlocking the car. I hopped into shotgun, and he sat in the drives seat fluidly. He then reached up into the visor and pressed a button that opened the garage door. He backed out and then Deidara came up besides the car when Sasori stopped at the end of the long driveway.

Deidara hopped in the back and said, "What do you think Sakura, un?"

"What do I think," I exclaimed, "I think this is _awesome_! This is the best thing that has ever happened to me and Naruto-kun."

"You mean the car or the orphanage?" Deidara asked.

"She means the orphanage you twit," Sasori said passively as he started to back out of the driveway and drive down the street.

I could see Deidara fuming through the review mirror as he cursed, "What the hell did you call me, un? And with Sakura here too?"

I laughed and said, "Don't worry Deidara-san I don't think you're a twit."

He nodded, grin on his face as he said, "Ha, she thinks I'm cool, oh and call me Deidara."

I gave a small nod so that he knew I heard him as Sasori said, "She never said you were cool you twit."

I could already here the insult on his tongue so I asked, "How about no fighting for a little bit kay?"

I heard Deidara huff, "Fine, un," and Sasori say, "As you wish."

The drive into town from there was pretty silent except for some side conversation. I mostly looked out the window and admired the woods we passed by. We went through plenty of forests because the orphanage was a good ways away from town. Everything was coming to life again since spring was now here; the woods were blooming with life.

As we entered town I asked, "Where are we going for lunch?"

"I vote Ichiraku's, un," Deidara said from the back.

"That is acceptable," Sasori said.

I face palmed and groaned, "I completely forgot, stupid, stupid, stupid…"

"What did you forget Sakura," Deidara asked curiously.

I sighed, "When Naruto-kun and I were living in the park we both had jobs to get money. I worked as a waitress at Ichiraku's and Naruto-kun did odd jobs. I guess everything happened so fast yesterday that I totally forgot about my job."

"You know you don't have to work anymore," Sasori said in a matter-a-fact tone.

I gave him a questioning look and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"He means," Sasori voiced, "that since Tsunade and Jiraiya take care of everything for us, and we only go to school."

"That's very kind of them," I mumbled, "Does that mean you want me to quit my job?"

"Yeah, since you and your brother are gunna end up going to school you probably should," Deidara said from the back.

"Um…okay I guess."

I really wasn't sure what to say, and I think that it would be nice that for once I didn't have to work, and I could go to school. Naruto and I learned what we could living on the streets, but we never went to school after our parents died since we didn't stay in one place for too long.

Sasori then parked the car on the side of the road across from Ichiraku's. I was about to open my door, but it was already open for me. Deidara was smiling at me from the outside and said, "Come on, un."

I grinned and walked out, he then shut the door behind me. "Thank you Deidara."

"Anytime," the blond artist said putting both hands behind his head.

"Let's go," Sasori said, waiting for us.

I nodded and followed Sasori across the street, Deidara following me from behind. We walked into Ichiraku's and before I knew it I heard a, "Sakura-san where have you been, I've been worried about you and that brother of yours."

I looked up from behind Sasori and Deidara and saw my boss, or I guess old boss now, staring at me with a grin. I smiled nervously and said, "Um, well it's kind of hard to explain-"

"She is now staying at Akatsuki Orphanage with us," Deidara cut in, "and she would like to quit her job."

My eyes got wide at how bluntly he put it, and before I could say anything the old man asked, "Is that true Sakura-san?"

I nodded sheepishly and said, "Yes sir, apparently I'm going to be going to school so I don't think that I can hold a job at the moment and get used to going back to school at the same time."

The old owner smiled a wrinkly smile and said, "You're a good worker and I would hate to lose you _but _I understand, so yeah I guess you can quit."

I grinned and said, "Uh, thanks sir."

He nodded and said, "Now how about I get you and your friends here a table."

"That would be great, un," Deidara said from in front of me.

The owner nodded and picked up some menus and led us to a table near the back. I took a seat first and Deidara took his seat next to me fast, giving Sasori a smug smirk. Sasori gave no reaction and took the seat across from us.

The owner handed us our menus and walked away. "So, you guys all go to school?" I asked trying to start up a conversation.

"Indeed," Sasori picking up his menu, "Konan, Yahiko, Nagato, Kisame, Itachi and I go to college whenever we please. Sasuke and Deidara go to high school where you and your brother will be going."

"What about Hidan? And I thought you were 19 Deidara," I asked while looking at my menu.

"The twit here failed last year so he will be at school with you. And Hidan is a religious man, who often says education is against his religion, which we all know not to be true at all."

"Oi, what's with the name calling again you block of ice," Deidara mumbled in agitation as an anger tick mark showed on his forehead.

I snickered a bit and said, "So what is the high school me and Naruto-kun will be going to?"

"Konoha High or Leaf High as it has been dubbed," Sasori said.

I nodded thinking about going to school. The last I went to school was when I was eight years old, and Naruto nine. We were naturally smart, but of course there were going to be things we didn't know about. Everything we ever learned while on the streets was from people we met and whenever we got access to the internet. We both knew how to read, write, do math, you know the basics.

"When do we start?"

"Well since today's Saturday, I'm going to be driving you and Naruto to school on Monday," Deidara said putting his menu down.

I looked at my menu and just decided for some miso ramen and then asked, "What about Sasuke-san?"

At this Deidara huffed and leaned back in his seat next to mine saying, "I may tolerate Itachi, but that little prick can drive himself to school, un."

So he hated Sasuke too, I think we'll get along well.

Sasori then put down his menu saying, "Deidara, I believe that you now have two people who have the same opinion of Sasuke as you do."

"Oh?" Deidara urged.

I sighed, "Let's just say that Naruto-kun and I won't be hanging around him at school or in the house."

"What did he do?" Deidara inquired, now very close to my face staring intently at me.

I nervously backed away slightly and said, "Sasuke-san and Naruto-kun got in a fight because Sasuke-san insulted both my brother and me, and Naruto-kun fought him. Itachi and I came in and stopped it, but before I left I told Sasuke-san that he better pull that fifty foot stick up his ass out soon."

Deidara looked at me for a couple seconds, then he busted out in pure laughter; very loud and hearty laughter. He was now wiping tears from his eyes as he said, "I..I…l-love you and…t-that brother…of yours Sakura."

I smiled and said, "That little jerk needs to stop thinking that he is superior to all others."

"I know right, un?" Deidara shouted.

The owner then came over to our table and said, "I'm guessing from your laughter over here that you're ready to order."

I looked at the old man and smiled brightly, "Yeah, we are. I'll just have some tea and miso ramen please."

"The pork ramen," Deidara voiced.

"And I shall have the miso ramen as well with some water," Sasori said in a bored tone.

The old man nodded and took our menus saying, "Coming right up."

The owner then left, leaving Sasori, Deidara, and me to ourselves. We talked about each other, but they mostly asked about me. At one point in our conversation, when we were eating our food, Deidara asked me, "Hey Sakura, why do you keep playing with that necklace of yours?"

I sighed and took my hand off of the green crystal hanging around my neck. I said in a morose tone, "This necklace used to be my mother's; Naruto-kun has a blue one that our father gave him. Our parents gave them to us the day they died, and told us to always keep them on…so we have."

Sasori gave me a sad look and said, "It's good that you have something to remember your parents by at the very least."

I held the crystal in my hands and looked deep into it. It's bright green shining through all of the small veins of crystal making it up. I saw some small white veins mixed in, making it all the more beautiful against its silver chain.

I smiled looking at my treasured necklace and said, "Yeah, it is good."

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in anyway except for the plot of this story**

**~Okay I know you can now probably guess that the necklaces are important, and if you did…YOU ARE RIGHT! But I'm not gunna tell you why they're important which means you're going to have to read it and review! Pretty please:)**

**Anyways I'm getting excited for when Jiraiya shows up cuz he's going to be an important person!**

**Thanks for all the reviews and subscriptions, I'm aiming for over 6 reviews please:) Makes me very happy…and write quicker…. **


	7. Memories

**Downtown: Konoha **

Sasori, Deidara, and I were now exiting the art shop with some bags in hand. Deidara restocked on his clay supply, and Sasori bought more tools and puppet parts. I was holding the bag of Sasori's sharp tools as we walked out into the street to get back to the car. But the ringing of a phone stopped us in our tracks.

Sasori pushed his puppet parts to one arm, and reached down into his pant pocket to pull out a _very_ nice phone. I really didn't know much about phones, so I didn't know its name, but from the looks of it, it was a high tech one.

He pushed on the screen and pulled the phone up to his ear, "Hello?"

I heard someone on the other end and then Sasori gave me a glance and said, "Yes, she and the twit are both with me."

I could see Deidara's face turn red at Sasori comment, so with my free hand I reached out grab his arm and whispered, "How about you two fight when he's off the phone."

Deidara glared at Sasori for a moment before backing down, so I let go of his arm as Sasori was saying, "I guess that would be alright, I'll tell her, goodbye."

Sasori then touched his phone screen again and ended the call. He looked at me with a smirk and said, "That was Konan, she was telling me that Tsunade wanted us to take you and your brother out shopping to get your own things."

At this I waved my hands in front of my face and said hurriedly, "Oh no, you don't need to do that. You've already given us so much, I reall-"

I was interrupted by a hand clasping down on my shoulder, I looked up to see the blond artist grinning at me and he said, "Come on Sakura, it's a lot of fun, un! You can get things for you room and clothes, electronics…" he trailed off listing more things I could get.

I gave him withered look, but Sasori pulled me out from Deidara's grasp by taking my hand and dragging me towards the car. I looked up at Sasori, who said nothing as Deidara was still listing things off, still not noticing that he no longer had hold of my shoulder.

Sasori opened the car door for me and I got in with a small, "Thank you."

He nodded and walked over to the other side, climbing in to the driver's seat next to me. He put the keys in and started to drive, but stopped next to Deidara, who finally noticed that we were gone. He rolled the window down and said smoothly, "Sakura and I will be meeting Naruto-san and Nagato at the electronic store first, come if you want."

Sasori then drove away, leaving an irate Deidara behind. My green eyes got wide as I asked, "Why are we leaving him behind?"

Sasori made a sharp turn and said, "Because the twit can walk there himself if he really wants to go. Plus, he was starting to annoy me by his ranting."

I sighed and leaned back in my comfortable seat and said, "If you think Deidara is annoying, just wait till we meet up with Naruto-kun. He will be far more excited and annoying than Deidara because he's getting new stuff."

Sasori chuckled at this and said, "Possibly."

It only took us ten minutes to get to the huge electronic store, and when we entered I was suddenly in the strong arms of my brother and he shouted, "Sakura-chan! I'm never going against one of your ideas again!"

I smiled, still in his slightly suffocating hold since his larger frame covered my smaller one entirely. I squeezed out, "That's…great Naruto-kun…could you…let go of me now please."

Naruto's blue eyes widened as he lifted his arms from around me and cried out, "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan!" I clamped my hands over my ears saying, "Baka, you're too loud."

I then felt Sasori stand behind me, and I saw Nagato walk over and stand next to Naruto, and he smiled down at me. "Should we get started Sakura-san?"

I nodded and said, "Um, sure."

Nagato then started to walk to where the cell phones were, with Naruto, Sasori and me following from behind. I saw the large assortment of phones and asked, "Nagato-san, what's the price range of what we can get?" I figured that I would not be able to fight with them on the prospect of getting new things, so I just decided to go with it rather than cause trouble.

He turned his head towards me, making his red hair fall on his face as he said, "There is no price range, get whatever you like."

I just stared at him dumbstruck. We haven't even been here for a full day and they were already getting us whatever we wanted. I know that I should be happy and not question it, but I just have never met such nice people before. Especially Nagato, he was the one who saved Naruto and I from the streets, brought us to the orphanage, and was now letting us get whatever we wanted.

I pushed my falling bangs out of my eyes as I said gratefully, "Thank you for everything you have done for us Nagato-san."

Nagato then put a hand on shoulder and said, "You don't need to say thank you, there is no need. I'm happy to have helped you and your brother."

Naruto then smiled his big winning smile and said, "Thanks Nagato," then he looked at me and said, "now let's go look at phones Sakura-chan!" And he then proceeded to drag me towards all the bright and shiny phones.

I gave a quick look back to see Nagato and Sasori whispering to each other in hushed voices, while giving the two of us a quick look every once in a while. Naruto kept showing me phone after phone, but I could tell that he felt the stares of the two red headed men looking towards us.

"What about this one?" Naruto asked, holding up a red touch screen phone.

I smiled and said, "I think I'll get that one, I like the color."

Naruto nodded and grin while holding a…orange phone, "I'm getting this one! It's the same as yours I think but just a different color."

I sighed a heavy one as I looked at the gaudy orange color. Naruto had his fascination with the color orange and blue, while I had my own with red and green. Naruto had always liked orange, but a couple of years ago he really started to like blue. Same thing happened to me with green. My guess was that it was because those were the colors of the crystals on our necklaces.

"So I'm guessing you found the phones you wanted?" Nagato asked coming over to us.

I nodded and said, "Yeah we're getting the same ones, just different colors."

"I'll show you how to put music on them later," Sasori said coming up from behind Nagato.

I grinned and said, "That would be nice."

"Is there anything else you would like here?" Nagato asked, brushing some of his hair out of his eye.

I shook my head, as did Naruto. "Okay then, let's pay and then we'll take you to the mall."

"I thought you were only going to get us phones, why do we need to go to the mall?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Well, you can get clothes that you like instead of the standard ones in the rooms, bedding, and objects of your liking. As well as paint for your rooms since they are only white."

"Sweet!" Naruto shouted, pumping his fist into the air.

After the phones were paid for I rode in Sasori's car, and Naruto rode in Nagato's to the mall. But before we could go into the mall, Nagato took both of our phones and started to press buttons. I peered over his shoulder and asked, "What are you doing Nagato-san."

"Programing all the numbers of everyone at the orphanage," he stated.

I nodded and said, "Thanks."

He gave me a smile as he handed back both mine and Naruto's phone, "No problem."

The four of us then walked into the mall, and I was overwhelmed big time. The thing was _huge_! I couldn't count how many floors there were, and couldn't even think of how many stores there were.

I smiled and said, "Well where are we going first?"

"How about the furniture store, for bedding and such," Sasori said.

"Let's go!" Naruto cried while grabbing my hand and dragging me only to stop half way and give a sheepish grin to the men behind us, "uh, where is that store?"

They both chuckled and walked up to us and led us to a very nice store. There was chairs, couches, lighting, desks, bedding, really anything that you could think of for furniture and their accessories.

I wandered off and looked at all of the bedding. I stopped at a certain bedding that caught my eye, it was a pure white with black flower patterns scattered on it, with red throw pillows that were either beaded or had red patterns on them. As I inspected the bedding further, someone bumped into me from the behind and made me fall on the ground.

I rubbed my back and stood up to see a girl with red hair and glasses, with a slutty outfit on, smirking at me. "Sorry, didn't see you little pink freak."

I growled when I stood up and asked, "Is there a reason why you bumped into me?"

She had fake shock on her face as she exclaimed, "What! You ran into me, now apologize."

"I will not say sorry for something I didn't do," I grumbled. I then turned my back to her and looked at the bed again, completely ignoring her. But she wouldn't have it.

"Oi, Pinky! Say you're sorry!" the annoying red head cried out.

I then walked over to where I could get the bedding in packaging and the pillows as well. I would rather buy myself new bed sets and pillows than fight with a girl I didn't even know. Plus, she looked like an ugly slutty frog in my opinion.

"Hey I'm talking to you," I heard the girl say behind me as I felt a hand grasp my shoulder. She pulled at my blouse, almost making me fall back on the floor, but I caught myself and crouched on the ground to avoid getting hurt again.

The red head saw this and she said, "You freak! Just say you're sorry and then I _might_ forgive you."

I stood up smoothly from my crouched position, walked over to where I dropped the bedding and pillows, picked them up in my small arms, and then turned towards her. I walked past her saying, "No thank you."

I could feel her fuming from behind me, but before she could slap me I felt another presence behind me. That presence smacked the red head's hand away from me and stood in front of me protectively. I spun around quickly, making sure not to drop the items in my arms, and I saw my blond haired brother standing in front of me.

"Is there a problem here?" Naruto asked in a calm voice, but there was an anger undertone to it.

The red head shook a little because of how imitating Naruto looked and said, "Uh, no this is between me and pinky…go away."

Naruto stepped towards her and growled out, "If my sister is involved it means I am too." I sighed, here comes his protective side…again.

I stepped forward, balanced all of my bed stuff, and reached a hand to put it on his shoulders, "Naruto-kun, let's go."

"Wait you still didn't apologize," the red head sputtered.

"What does she need to apo-" Naruto asked, but was stopped when a looming figure appeared over the red head.

Nagato, with a smile on his face asked, "Karin-san, is there a problem here?"

Karin turned around slowly, and when she realized who it was she screeched and backed away from the three of us murmuring, "D-don't tell me th-that you two," she jutted a finger at Naruto and me, "are from the A-Akatsuki Orphanage?"

Naruto and I gave her a funny look and I asked, "As a matter of fact yes."

She then glared at me with daggers in her eyes. Her emotions changed quickly.

"That means you live with Sasuke-kun! I cannot allow it, you can't b-" Karin was cut off when Nagato came to stand next to her again, smile still on his face as he asked her, "Please be on your way Karin-san."

She pushed up her glasses and high tailed out of there, like a dog with its tail between its legs.

I started to giggle at Nagato, who knew that he could scare people with his smile, I actually liked his smile.

Nagato then walked up to us and asked, "I see that you have found new bedding, good. Now what was that all about with Karin-san?"

"Yeah, Sakura-chan, what was with that girl?"

I sighed and said, "She bumped into me, making me fall and asked for me to apologize. I said I wouldn't because I didn't do anything and she fought with me, then Naruto-kun showed up."

"I don't like her," Naruto huffed crossing his arms, "And what's with the 'Sasuke-kun' crap," he asked trying to make his voice imitate Karin's annoying one, and failed miserably.

Nagato and I snickered a bit at Naruto's imitation, and then Nagato said, "You will find that many of the girls at Konoha High are infatuated with the young Uchiha, as they were with the rest of us. There are Sasuke fan clubs from what I have heard from Deidara."

I coughed when he mentioned fan clubs. Really? A fan club dedicated to a jerk that didn't know anything but the word 'hn' and was a rude asshole. I sighed and said, "Well, who cares? Let's go pay for this stuff," I motioned to the bedding and pillows in my arms and then looked at my older brother, "Did you find anything yet Naruto-kun?"

Naruto looked at me with a grin and said, "Nope nothing yet, let's pay for your stuff and then we'll find something for me."

I nodded and started to walk ahead with my brother and then I looked back at my friend and said, "Come on Nagato-san."

He smiled at me and walked up behind Naruto and I. Naruto later found bright orange bedding with blue swirl designs and a ramen pillow he just had to have. We both found paints to paint our room, me a calming red color and Naruto got a sea blue. Nagato and Sasori also bought us basic lightings and dressers, plus I got a small painting for my room.

Naruto smiled at me when I picked my painting, so he got the same one just a different color. The picture was one that was in our old home with our parents. It was a simple picture of a flower floating on the water. Our parents always said that I was a flower and Naruto was the water supporting me, and one day they found this. I got the one with the white flower, and Naruto got the one with the red flower.

Sasori and Nagato noticed us admiring them and Sasori asked, "Is there a certain meaning behind those paintings?"

"Yeah," Naruto said turning to Sasori with painting in hand, "these paintings used to be in our old home with our parents. There's a special meaning behind them to us."

Nagato smiled knowingly and said, "That is nice." He didn't ask for the reason why, he respected our secrets.

After we got everything we wanted we lugged it all back to the Orphanage. It took some trips, but we got it all up into our rooms. The first thing I did was go into my old jeans and pull out two pictures. While we were out I bought two simple black frames to put two of my most treasured pictures in.

I pulled out the first one, a family picture of my mother holding Naruto's hand and my dad with me on his back. We were all smiling the famous Namikaze smile, one that was like the sun. I gave a small smile as I put the slightly worn family photo in its frame.

I then pulled out the second one that was taken a couple months ago, so it really wasn't worn out. It was a picture of Naruto and me, with his arm around my shoulders and the both of us smiling. That day an old lady Naruto was doing odd jobs for, asked if we wanted to take a picture, we said yes. But to this day I still don't know why she asked if we wanted a picture, maybe she just knew that we needed something to remind us that Naruto and I would always be there for each other.

I put the happy photo in its frame, and then picked up the two frames, placing them on my white dresser that was facing my bed. These were photos that I would do anything for, the photos that reminded me that even though bad things happened to me and my older brother we were still going, and we were happy.

I gave the photos one last glance before putting my room together. I put my bedding together and the new clothes in the closet, and I hung the painting of the flower and water on my wall next to my bed. I figured that I could start painting later so I went across the hallway into Naruto's room.

I saw that he had everything in order so I said, "Seems like your room is looking good, hopefully you won't destroy it you baka."

"Hey I was like ten years old when my room was a mess!" Naruto pouted, "I'm almost eighteen now so I think I'm able to keep a room clean."

I smiled as he defended himself, but a soft voice cut off his ramblings, "Sakura-san, Naruto-san dinner is ready. And I love how both of you did your rooms."

I looked behind me to see Konan leaning on the doorway and smiling softly at us. She was truly very beautiful; I could only hope to be as beautiful as her.

I gave her a smile and said, "Thank you Konan-san, and we'll be down soon."

She nodded and gracefully left the room.

I looked at Naruto who was just staring where she left. I looked around Naruto's room a little bit closer to see something that I thought he had thrown out years ago.

I walked over to his bed where two plushies sat, one was a toad and the other was a slug. We had these things when we were younger, but I thought Naruto threw them away when he turned fifteen.

I picked them up and asked him, "Hey where have you been hiding these Naruto-kun? I thought you got rid of them."

Naruto turned his gaze to me and said slowly, "Well, before I started on my room I went back to the park to pick up our bag, and I kept those in there. Mom and Dad gave us those, so I guess I could never throw them away."

I put the toad and slug down and walked over to my brother, grabbing him into a hug which he immediately returned. We stayed in that embrace for a couple seconds before letting go. Naruto put his hand on my shoulder and said, "I have a feeling that Mom and Dad are watching us, that's probably why we're here now."

I nodded and said, "They're always watching, now let's go down for dinner, they're probably wondering where we are."

He nodded and we walked down the stairs into the dining room where everyone was already seated. Tsunade sat at the head, and to her right sat Nagato, Yahiko, Konan, Sasori, and Deidara. One her left sat Kisame, Hidan, Sasuke, and Itachi. There were some open seats left so I took the one next to Itachi and Naruto took the one next to Deidara.

I gave a small smile and said, "Sorry we made everyone wait."

Tsunade waved her hand in the air and said, "That's not a problem, now let's eat."

The hungry boys, namely Kisame, Hidan, Yahiko, Deidara, and Naruto all nodded vigorously, while the rest of us took our fair share of rice, meat, and veggies. As we ate conversation started up, but it led to me and Naruto when Naruto started to complain to Deidara about the Karin girl we met earlier.

"I hate that red haired devil," Deidara exclaimed, mouth full of rice.

Naruto nodded and shouted, "I know right! I only met her once and she is really rude, especially to Sakura-chan."

Some eyes turned to me, but I didn't say anything I just ate my food.

"And she has some stupid infatuation with that teme," Naruto piped up.

Sasuke glared at him and grounded out, "I have nothing to do with that fan-girl."

I just watched as Naruto and Sasuke started to fight but Tsunade's loud voice stopped them when she asked, "So Naruto, Sakura, you both know you're going to school with Sasuke and Deidara right?"

I nodded and said, "Yeah Deidara and Sasori told me. It will be nice to go back to school."

"How long have you and your brother not been in school," Itachi asked from my side.

"Ever since our parents were killed," Naruto said offhand, "We jumped from city to city too much for us to go to school. We are smart though."

I nodded and said, "People we met taught us what we could and we went on the internet many times to learn more."

"That was smart of you two," Itachi said.

I was about to reply but Hidan interrupted him asking, "What the hell do you mean 'jumping from city to city' couldn't you have just stayed in one city?"

Damn it, Naruto screwed that one up. I was about to try and cover it up but a sudden loud and booming voice yelled, "I'm home!"

I turned around to see a man with long white hair walking into the dining room. He wore a black business suit that was slightly rumpled and his hair was unruly. His eyes and face looked kind even with the red streaks running down it.

He ran a hand through his hair and walked towards the table, "So I was do ano-" but he suddenly stopped in his tracks. His eyes got wide as he looked at Naruto and me.

"What's wrong Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked.

He didn't pay any attention to her all he did was look at us in shock as he asked, "Naruto, Sakura?"

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way, just the plot of this story**

**Jiraiya has finally come in! That means that things are about to get better:) And isn't so cute how scared Karin got when Nagato smiled :3**

**I brought Karin in mostly to spice up the chapter a bit, plus I really hate her guts.**

**Hope you guys liked it! Thank you to all those who reviewed, subscribed, ect. **

**Please Review AGAIN!**


	8. Long Lost Godfather

_**Akatsuki Orphanage**_

"Naruto, Sakura?"

When he said our names I stood up from my chair, and Naruto stood up from his and walked over to my side. Naruto, as well as me, closely inspected Jiraiya. I then asked in a slow voice, "Um, you look like someone we knew…did you know a Minato Namikaze?"

Jiraiya's face lit up with happiness and relief as he surged forward to gather both Naruto and I into his great arms. He hugged us close as he exclaimed, "You two have no idea how long I have been looking for you!"

I got a look of confusion on my face, but before I could ask anything Tsunade stood up and asked, "Jiraiya, what's going on?"

Jiraiya gave us one final squeeze as he set us both back down on the ground. He then looked at Tsunade with a smile in his eyes as he said, "I just found the two people I have been looking for, for eight years."

My eyes got larger but before I could say anything Naruto turned around to look at him and asked, "Wait, what?"

"What the hell is going on old man?" Hidan shouted.

"Yeah, I'm pretty confused," Kisame voiced his opinion.

Jiraiya sighed a long and heavy sigh, "Well you guys all look like you're done with dinner so how about we go into the living room so I can explain everything, alright?"

"That sounds reasonable," Itachi said standing up behind me.

"Indeed," Sasori also said as he stood up.

"Fine," Tsunade huffed out, "you have some explaining to do Jiraiya."

He nodded and we all followed him down the hallway. Everything was going too fast for me at the moment. Only a day at this place and we were meeting the man who used to meet with my dad and play with us years ago. This really made no sense to me, and I could see that Naruto was thinking very deeply about it from my side. I just clutched my necklace, trying to calm down.

As we entered the living room Naruto and I walked over to the large sofa to sit down next to each other, Itachi sat next to me and Nagato sat next to Naruto. Yahiko then sat next to Nagato. Deidara and Sasori sat on two chairs opposite of each other, Hidan flopped down on the floor, and Kisame and Konan sat in a mini sofa. Jiraiya took his seat across from everyone and Tsunade chose to stand as did Sasuke.

Jiraiya sighed and looked over at Naruto and me before looking at everyone else. He then ran a hand through his unruly white hair and explained, "Let's start from the beginning. Before Tsunade and I started this orphanage, we did our own things. I own a large business as you all know," he looked over at everyone, "and I was teaching Minato Namikaze the ways of business so that he could take over when he was ready."

I took in all the information with a calm head. From what he was describing it now made sense why our dad would always meet with Jiraiya.

His eyes then settled on Naruto and I, "I became close with your father and mother and I considered them like my own children in a way. And because of that I became close with the two of you, and Minato and Kushina made me both of yours godfather."

"You mean that you're our godfather?" Naruto asked pointing at him then me.

I sighed, "Naruto, you can be really dense sometimes. He just stated that he is our godfather."

Before Jiraiya could say anything Kisame asked, "Well if you're their godfather, why didn't you get them when their parents died?"

"Well that's where things get messy," Jiraiya replied, "I noticed that there were people waiting outside of the house whenever I went to visit. I looked into it more and noticed that there was a symbol on the car," he then looked at Itachi, who was sitting next to me, and Sasuke, who was brooding but still listening in the corner, "it was the symbol of the Uchiha."

I felt Itachi stiffen at my side and I looked at him. His eyes were slightly wide as he looked intently at Jiraiya. I put a hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him, since I really didn't know what to do. He didn't shrug me off, but he didn't acknowledge me either.

"Are you saying that the Uchiha were responsible for the murder of our parents?" Naruto growled out.

Jiraiya hastily put his up in front of him shaking them, "No, not necessarily. Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, the parents of Sasuke and Itachi, were actually good friends of your parents."

"We never heard of any Namikaze before, so what makes those two so special," Sasuke questioned from his corner.

"Sasuke, your parents and Naruto and Sakura's were trying to hide something. And-"

"Is it those damn sources that our uncles killed our parents for?" Sasuke exclaimed.

Itachi, my hand still on his shoulder, looked coldly at his brother, "Sasuke, stop this now. We do not know everything to this story."

"I know enough that those two," Sasuke pointed at Naruto and me, "and their parents are probably the reason why ours are dead."

"What did you say?" Naruto shouted at him.

I took my hand off of Itachi's shoulder to hold Naruto down as I said, "Naruto-kun, Sasuke-san how about the both of you calm down and listen to Jiraiya-san, then we can make accusations later."

Sasuke glared at me but said nothing and Naruto calmed down and said, "Sorry…go on."

"Always the peace maker Sakura," Jiraiya mumbled before continuing, "As I said before both of your parents were hiding something that Tobi and Madara Uchiha, now the heads of the Uchiha Corporation, were after. They sent their men to find what they wanted from Minato and Kushina since they knew that their brother, Fugaku, was a close friend to the both of them. From what I can tell they didn't find what they were looking for so they killed Minato and Kushina."

"Do we know what they were looking for," Itachi questioned.

"No, I have no idea," Jiraiya sighed in defeat.

"You still didn't answer my question," Kisame said after a pause.

"I'm getting to it, be patient alright? When I found out that Minato and Kushina were killed, my first thought was to get you two," he looked at Naruto and me, "and take custody. But the problem was that you were nowhere to be found. That's why I go on all these trips to look for you two."

I ran a hand through my long pink hair as I said, "Well, when our parents died we didn't know what to do so we ran."

"We never stayed in the same place for a long time because people have been trying to _kill_ us. And now we defiantly know who was trying to kill us all these years," Naruto sighed.

"Wait, whose been trying to kill you," Jiraiya asked out of shock and worry.

"I believe I know who," Nagato voiced from Naruto's side, "The night I brought Naruto-san and Sakura-san to the Akatsuki Orphanage they told me that a masked man named Tobi was trying to kill them. I met him only once and I didn't like him."

"Yeah he shot Sakura-chan just for our necklaces," Naruto grounded out, "plus he talked in third person. You have some pretty weird uncle's teme."

"They are not my uncles anymore," Sasuke growled, "they lost that title the day they killed my parents."

"What necklaces?" Konan asked softly.

Naruto pulled his blue crystal out from under his shirt and I held out my own green one. "Our parents gave these to us right before they died. They said to always keep them close," I whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.

"What would my uncles want with your necklaces Sakura?" Itachi asked as he stared into my green orbs.

I shrugged and Naruto said, "All I can say is that he really wanted them, and didn't care if we ended up corpses."

"What should we do Jiraiya, Tsunade?" Yahiko asked from beside Nagato.

"Nothing," Tsunade stated, "there is absolutely nothing we can do now except be careful," she then turned her gaze to Naruto and I, "and you two need to watch your backs when you go to school. It's a public place so anything could happen."

Naruto smirked and said confidently, "Don't worry Tsunade; we can watch our backs just fine."

I smiled at my brother and looked around at everyone else. Sasori seemed bored but also intrigued, Deidara and Kisame had looks of slight worry on their faces, Konan had her normal soft look with a determined eye, Yahiko and Nagato were smiling at Naruto, Sasuke was glaring (pretty normal if you ask me),Hidan had this weird gleam in his eye, and Itachi was smirking.

"Why don't they just leave since they will be putting everyone in danger," Sasuke said coldly.

Everyone glared at him, even Hidan, and Nagato spoke up, "Because we never turn our backs on people who need us. And I would rather not have my two new friends killed."

I smiled when Nagato said friends. It seemed that we already grew on them, and they on us. Well, everyone except for Mr. Stick in the Ass.

"Hn," was all Sasuke said.

"Well I can look out for them at school since Sas-_gay _won't do anything," Deidara piped up.

"That includes Yahiko, Nagato, and me as well," Konan said evenly. Naruto and I both gave her a questioning gaze and she said, "The three of us are teachers there."

I smiled at her and then looked at Jiraiya saying, "We really don't want to be so much trouble, I mea-"

But I was cut off by a smooth voice that could only belong to Itachi, "There is no need to feel that way Sakura. We all see you two as part of our family now, so let us do our part to help you."

I looked into his onyx eyes to see if there was any doubt; there was none. This man, who I barely knew, was willing to do anything for Naruto and me. And by the looks in everyone else's eyes they all thought the same thing.

"We can continue this tomorrow, it's getting late so go to your rooms everyone," Tsunade's voice boomed.

There were some moans and groans but in the end we all got up to go to bed. As I stood up with Naruto I watched as everyone left the large living room, and when I headed towards the staircase a hand on my shoulder stopped me. I looked behind me, along with Naruto, and we saw our godfather.

"I need to talk to you two before you go up kay?" He asked in his warm voice.

I nodded and Naruto made no sign of acknowledgement. Jiraiya then took both of us by the shoulders and led us outside into the garden, the very garden I have fallen in love with. He led us down the stone path and to the bench that overlooked the small pond. He gestured for Naruto and me to sit on the bench as he took a seat on the grass in his business clothes.

When we sat Jiraiya sighed out, "You two have no _idea_ how relived I am to have found you."

"Well I'm not surprised that you didn't find us," Naruto grunted out, "Sakura-chan and me are pretty good at hiding."

"You get those survival skills from your parents for sure," Jiraiya said a look of remembrance on his face, "I just wish that you never had to use them and that I found you earlier on."

I ran a hand through my pink locks as I said, "Don't be sorry, we have learned how to take care of ourselves. It's made the both of us closer and more mature than we probably ever would have been."

Jiraiya gave us both a warm smile, "I remember when you were younger you two used to fight all the time but in the end you loved each other, just as siblings should. I have one question though…"

"What is it?" Naruto asked, leaning towards our godfather.

"Well…this may be hard but I need you two to tell me everything that happened on the day that your parents were killed."

My throat choked up a bit, but I pushed my fear down. I could see Naruto tense up, so I put a gentle hand on his shoulder for reassurance. He looked my way and nodded, then looked back at Jiraiya and said, "We were all having dinner like usual when someone went and banged on the door. Mom and Dad seemed to know what it was somehow so they took me and Sakura-chan to the back of the house and hid us inside the wall-"

"Inside the wall?" Jiraiya questioned cutting off Naruto.

"Yes," I answered, "our parents must have known something bad was going to happen so they cut a secret compartment into the wall and put us in there and then they gave us these necklaces," I held my green crystal, "and then after that…"

I trailed off really not wanting to think about it. Ever since we got here I seemed to be talking about the deaths of our parents a lot, and I guess that it was finally starting to sink in.

Naruto pulled me into a one armed hug, holding me against him as he said, "Then we heard shouting and heard them fighting. Near the end there were two gun shots, and when we crawled out of the wall our parents were dead."

Jiraiya looked sadly at the two of us. We must have looked really pathetic since I was cuddled up next to my brother, my pink hair swaying in the breeze, and Naruto had his arm around me protectively and was looking straight at Jiraiya.

I then saw Jiraiya lift himself off of the ground and walk over slowly to us. He crouched down, since he was a very tall guy to begin with, and warped his large and strong arms around both Naruto and I. Naruto still had me in his arms, but now we were both encircled in our godfathers arms. Jiraiya held us close, as he said, "Now that I have found you, I promise I will never let you two go again."

At his words I felt so loved so I just nodded into his chest and said, "Thank you."

"Yeah…same here," Naruto replied as well.

We stayed like this for a while, the three of us hugging. In a way we were sort of like a small family of three, but I have a feeling that this small family would grow and create new family members. This place was a place for new beginnings, a place for Naruto and me to start all over and create a home with friends and family. I guess there was a reason to naming this the Akatsuki Orphanage, or otherwise known as New Dawn.

**~Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto just the plot line of this story**

**So what do ya think! I tried hard to make that whole Jiraiya, Sakura, and Naruto moment short and sweet. Plus I wanted everyone to show that they would do all they could to help them…and I just love writing Sasuke since he is such a jerk, but he will get better I believe…**

**Thank you to all of you who have reviewed and subscribed! Please Review once more since I make updates quicker then:) Spread the word of this story if you want too:)**


	9. First Day and Information

_**Akatsuki Orphanage **_

I woke up with my long hair sprawled all around me, and the black and white covers bunched up on me. I stretched out like a cat, my hands balling up above my head and my legs stretching to their fullest. I sat up slowly and rubbed my head, trying to push my unruly pink hair out of my face.

Today was the first day of school at Konoha High.

It had been quite a while since Naruto and I went to school, and the last time we did was elementary school. But I knew that we could handle whatever was thrown our way, we had the inner fire both of our parents had.

So, gathering myself, I stood up slowly and walked to my bathroom to get in the shower. Tossing my white tee-shirt to the side I hopped in and felt the warm water run down my back, soaking my body in its warm comfort.

When I was done, I wrapped a towel around me and went to my closet, because everyone knows that what you wear to your first day of school could make or break you. People were judgmental, and they wouldn't have any mercy to a kid with long pink hair. No, they would try to tear me apart the moment I messed up in the slightest.

But that didn't deter me at all.

Since it was spring and getting warm I picked out some jean shorts that showed off my pale legs and a plain white top that was all lace in the back. I went back to the bathroom to put on my green crystal necklace, and then I looked at myself in the mirror. I knew that I couldn't leave my hair down since it could get in the way, so I opted to make it into a long braid.

When I was all done, I looked once more, and satisfied I opened the door to my room and went across the hall to knock on Naruto's door. My blond brother opened the door, still slightly drowsy looking but he looked decent enough.

He wore an orange tee-shirt, plain faded jeans, and his blue crystal necklace. I smiled at him and asked, "How about we get some breakfast, I'm starving."

He grinned that wide grin of his and said, "Sure Sakura-chan."

He shut his door and we walked down the stairs together, but before we got to the bottom we ran into Konan who was walking down the stairs in front of us. She turned around, her gold eyes looking into our own emerald and blue, and said kindly, "I was just going to make breakfast, any suggestions?"

I shrugged as we reached the bottom, "Whatever is the easiest to make."

Naruto put his hands behind his head and said, "Eh, do you have ramen?"

I sweat dropped and swatted at his head, "Is that all you think about baka?"

He rubbed the back of his head saying, "That hurt Sakura-chan!"

Konan laughed at our antics and said, "I can make some ramen for you Naruto-san," she then looked at me, "and how about some miso and rice for the two of us?"

I smiled and said, "Sounds great Konan-san."

As we walked into the kitchen she waved her hand at me and said, "Please call me Konan, I would really like to get close to you since we are the _only_ girls in this house. Starting now you are to be my new little sister."

I rubbed the back of my head and said, "I would like that Konan."

She smirked at me and went to making our food and Naruto's. I looked at the table to see Kisame and Itachi already sitting there, sipping on tea. I sat down next to Kisame and asked, "So early risers, huh?"

Kisame laughed at me and said, "The two of us here have always been morning people believe it or not."

I looked at Itachi and asked, "So how's Sasuke-san?"

When we had our family meeting with Jiraiya, Sasuke had been avoiding Naruto and I like the plague, glaring at us whenever he had the chance. Since his uncles were mentioned, the people he hated with all of his being, he blamed our parents and us for what happened to his and Itachi's parents. He was being rude, immature, an asshole, and just a, well a plain jerk.

Itachi sighed, "He is still the same, don't worry though Sakura. He gets like this every once in a while."

I smiled and said, "I'm not worried, actually the only thing I'm worried about is another fight between Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san. They didn't exactly hit it off in the first place."

"That brother of yours is now one of my favorite people here!" Kisame exclaimed.

Just then Naruto sat across from the three of us and asked slyly, "Soo, why am I now your favorite fishy?"

Kisame grinned a toothy grin and said, "Cuz you hate that chicken ass kid just like me! No offense Itachi," Kisame added quickly.

Itachi ran a hand through his hair and breathed out, "None taken."

Konan then came to the table, sitting next to Naruto, and she then gave us the food; Naruto his ramen, and the two of us our rice and miso. I looked down hungrily and said, "Thanks Konan."

She smiled a beautiful smile and said, "It was my pleasure."

We then started to eat. The rice and miso was, of course, delicious…and Naruto just inhaled his ramen and went to get more from the pot.

"So Sakura," Itachi asked getting my attention, "how do you feel about your first day of school?"

I looked into his onyx orbs and said, "Surprisingly enough, I feel pretty calm, but I'm also excited."

"You'll like it there kitten," Kisame said using his nickname for me, "you'll have Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko as teachers. Plus our little blond artist will be there too."

"You forgot teme," Naruto pointed out with a mouth full of ramen.

"And?" Kisame questioned.

I couldn't help but to laugh, Sasuke really rubbed some of these people the wrong way. I spared a glance at Itachi, who only smirked.

Then a thought popped into my mind, so I voiced it, "Why did Deidara get held back anyways?"

"The idiot exploded things way too much for the teachers liking, so they held him back…but I also heard that he blew up one of Kakashi's prized possessions."

"Kakashi?"

"The principle," Konan answered.

"What's his prized possession?" Naruto asked innocently.

At this both Konan and Itachi smirked, and Kisame laughed out, "You know how Jiraiya writes books. Well, Kakashi is probably his biggest fan and apparently Deidara blew up one of Kakashi's books claiming that it was 'art'."

"The old man's books? They don't seem to have that much value if you ask me," Naruto said leaning back in his chair.

"How could you say that?"

We looked to where we heard a voice shout and saw Jiraiya, near tears, staring wildly at Naruto and a bored looking Yahiko and Nagato stood behind him. He marched over and said, "Those books are a work of art and observation, Deidara should have gotten expelled for doing that to my books! But instead he only got _held back_."

I giggled at my godfather's antics and Nagato and Yahiko came up behind me. "Hey, we should probably get going soon," Yahiko said sadly.

I looked behind me at him and asked, "Why do you sound sad?"

At this his face got depressed, "Do you have any idea how dumb some of the kids I teach are? They drive me insane."

Nagato smiled at him and patted his back saying, "Don't worry Yahiko, I believe that Sakura will be a good addition to the both of our classes."

I smiled up at the two of them and grabbed my two bowls, setting them in the sink. Naruto and Konan followed doing the same. My blond hair brother then launched his arm around my shoulders and brought my close exclaiming, "Let's go to school! We can totally do this Sakura-chan!"

I wiggled out of his hold and growled, "Do you have to yell?"

He smiled sheepishly and said nothing.

I sighed and then turned to the others asking, "So…how are we getting to school again?"

"One of these three," Jiraiya said putting his hands on Nagato and Yahiko's shoulders, "will drive you."

"What about Sasuke-san?" I asked out of curiosity.

Itachi answered saying, "My little brother will be driving himself as he normally does."

I gave him a quick nod, grabbed my white bag, and said, "Well let's go, don't wanna be late on our first day."

"Indeed," Nagato said coming up to Naruto and I.

Konan quickly grabbed my arm gently and said, "I call driving Sakura to school, one of you two can take Naruto."

"I'll take him," Nagato said putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Aww man! That means I'm driving alone you jerks!" Yahiko exclaimed.

"You could always go in Nagato's car," Itachi deadpanned.

"Oh, yeah, I knew that," Yahiko said confidently.

I shook my head and as we headed out of the kitchen I heard Kisame shout, "Good luck kitten, Naruto!"

Then, almost barely though, I heard Itachi say, "Good luck Sakura."

I smiled at their wish for good lucks as Konan led me to her silver convertible. They were all truly too kind.

As I sat down in my seat, Konan sat in hers and put the keys into the slot and we were off to Konoha High.

_**Konoha High**_

We pulled up to the school and all its grandeur. It was a very large school made out of white stone, and the leaf symbol was painted on the very front of it.

When I hopped out of the car I looked around at all of the kids staring at me, probably because I was getting out with one of the teachers.

"Let's get you and your brother to Kakashi's office so we can officially enroll you," Konan said by my side as we headed over to the boys. I gave her a nod.

As we walked down the hallways I saw the stereotypes everywhere; the populars, jocks, geeks, drama kids, j-pop kids, practically any kind of cliques you could think of.

When we finally entered the principal's office, I sighed with relief since Naruto and I kept getting weird looks from others. It kind of unnerved me.

The first thing I saw was a tan man with brown hair and eyes, and he also had this strange cut running across his nose. He sat at a desk that had a plaque saying 'Vice Principle' and had a warm smile on his face. He looked at the five of us and said, "Konan, Yahiko, Nagato what can I do for you?"

"We're here to enroll the new students Iruka," Nagato said politely.

"Oh so these are the new kids, huh they look nice," Iruka said smiling down at Naruto and me.

"Naruto and Sakura Namikaze are their names," Konan said slowly.

Iruka nodded and said, "Well I guess you guys wanna see Kakashi, go in I guess."

Nagato nodded and the five of us went into the large principal's office. What we saw was a man with sliver gravity defying hair, a head band running diagonally covering one of his eyes and he wore a plain green shirt with dress pants…and he was giggling at the orange book he had in front of his face.

Nagato grunted a couple of times, but it failed to get the silver haired man's attention. So Yahiko stomped over to Kakashi, and swiped the book out of the poor man's hands.

Kakashi then exclaimed, "Hey! I was at a good part."

Yahiko sighed and said, "You pervy old man, instead of reading a book you have read like what, a _hundred_ times how about you pay attention to your teachers and new students."

Kakashi looked into Yahiko's eyes icily and said slowly, "Give me my book and then we can talk."

Yahiko once again sighed and stretched his hand out to the principle, who swiped the book out of his hands and back into his own.

Kakashi gave a sigh of relief, put the book down, folded his hands, and smiled saying, "So these are the new kids at your orphanage?"

"Yes," Konan simply answered.

Kakashi smiled at Naruto and I and asked, "May I ask for your names?"

"Naruto Namikaze," Naruto said brightly.

"Sakura Namikaze," I said nicely.

Kakashi, smile still on his face said, "Siblings huh? From what Nagato told me you two haven't been in school since elementary, but he says the both of you are quiet smart."

I rubbed that back of my neck saying sheepishly, "Well, I guess but-"

I was but off when Kakashi said, "Okay so I'll put you both in one advance class, so pick."

I looked at the man oddly; didn't you have to take a test to get into an advance class? I saw Naruto contemplating next to me, probably thinking which one was the easiest class. I already knew what I wanted so I said, "I'll just take language arts."

Kakashi nodded at me and then turned his attention to Naruto who said, "Um…how about history?"

"Sounds good kids," Kakashi said writing down our schedules on paper. He must've been really lazy, or unorganized.

He then handed us our schedules and smiled, "Good Luck."

_**Uchiha Corporation HQ**_

Madara Uchiha was a patient man, but he was cruel. Killing his younger brother, Fugaku, he thought was the smartest decision he had ever made. Now the head of a multi-million dollar worldwide company he felt pretty damn proud of himself. He had everything he ever wanted, money, power, control, _but_ there was one thing missing in Madara's life, one very important thing.

The Sources.

Madara put his hands together while he sat at his desk thinking about what had gotten out of his clutches because of his damned brother. Those Sources were what he needed to have _complete_ control, _absolute_ control. He knew those kids of the Namikaze's had them, so he sent his men after them.

They had only one order: Get the Sources, and kill whoever got in their way.

Madara then sighed, thinking that a couple of _teenagers_ of all people were getting away from his very finest men. So, as a last resort, he sent his younger brother, Tobi, out to look for them. Tobi may be the biggest idiot on the planet, Madara mused to himself, but he listens to orders like a dog.

He was awaiting his brother's return patiently, but his patience was running thin. It had been a month since he sent the masked man out to get the Sources and kill those pesky children. Madara ran a hand through his long black locks, thinking of ways to punish his younger brother if he did not come soon.

As if on cue, there was a knock on the dark man's door.

With his voice full of authority he said solidly, "Enter."

The door opened slowly to reveal the man who he was just thinking about. Tobi stood before him in all of his masked and childish glory.

"Tobi, do you have them," Madara said, getting straight to the point.

At this Tobi rubbed the back of his head nervously and sputtered out, "Well, uh, you see Tobi tried his hardest, he did! But, the children were mean to Tobi and didn't give him what he wanted, so, uh, Tobi fought them, and uh-"

"Just get to the point fool," Madara groaned out.

At this Tobi froze up and said slowly, "Tobi, did not, uh, get the Sources."

Madara heard this, and with all of his willpower, he kept from yelling and in a strained voice said menacingly, "What do you mean?"

Tobi quickly waved his hands in front of him and exclaimed, "Yes, yes that is true, but Tobi now knows where they are!"

Madara, interest now peeked, asked sweetly, "Where are they Tobi?"

"Konoha."

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto just this story's plot.**

**And there you go! I thought that there should be some input from the bad guy to spice things up a bit, and leaving you all at a cliff hanger is what I do best!**

**I hope you all enjoyed reading this new chapter, and thank you all so very very very very very very very very very very…very much for review and subscribing! **

**Please grace me once again with your lovely reviews, it always makes me so very happy:)**


	10. Konoha High School PT 1

_**Konoha High**_

I was walking down the hallway to my first class, Advanced LA, with Nagato, who was my teacher. I could feel him giving me side glances, checking to see if I was getting nervous. But, I wasn't, I refused to be scared of something new.

As we neared the door to the classroom Nagato stopped and looked at me, "Sakura, you ready?"

I tossed my braid behind me and gave him one of my famous Namikaze smiles and said, "I'm ready for anything, I mean what's the worst that could happen."

He smiled down at me, his red hair covering his purple eyes even more. He then opened the door; he motioned for me to go in first. I did and he followed right behind me.

When I entered the class I saw that all of my new classmates immediately looked my way and stared. It could be because of my pink hair, the fact that I was new, or that I walked in with Nagato. All I knew was that some of them looked with curiosity while others looked with smugness.

I heard Nagato cough behind me, and he gently patted my shoulder saying, "We have a new student, how about you introduce yourself."

I nodded at him and then turned to the class again to inform them of my identity, "My name is Sakura Namikaze, nice to meet you all." I gave a soft smile in the end for good measure.

There was a pause before I heard some girl in the back shout, "Oh my Kami your adorable!"

There were then other consents from other girls, while some of the other girls glared at me. I sighed and looked back Nagato who just shrugged as if this was a normal occurrence.

My red haired friend/teacher then raised his voice saying, "Shikamaru please raise your hand so that Sakura knows where to sit."

I heard a grumble near the middle and saw a lazy hand rise in the air. I looked to the young man, who looked to be Naruto's age, and was pleased. He had spiky black hair with a chain necklace; he wore ripped jeans and a plain grey top. He seemed like one of those really lazy kids, but I bet that there was something more to this Shikamaru.

I walked over to him and sat down in the desk next to his, putting my books and bag on my desk. Once I was ready Nagato started his lesson. He said that we were going to be starting a book report, and we had to choose a book from the AP courses. I smiled happily, because whenever I could I tried to read, it was one of my hidden pleasures.

"Now I would like everyone to get into groups of three and decide on a book," Nagato said in his gentle voice.

I looked to Shikamaru and asked, "Um, as you probably already know, I don't know anyone here and I was wondering if you wanted to group up?"

The lazy boy opened one of his eyes and said, "Whatever, it's not like I have a choice." But then he smirked slightly.

I smiled at him and took his hand in mine saying, "Well let's find us our third group member." I pulled him out of his seat at which I heard him mumble "troublesome" under his breath, but there was a hint of happiness in that voice of his.

I looked around to see who was in a group and who wasn't. Mostly everyone had already gotten into their groups, but one. He was sitting in the back looking at everyone else. He had hair, as red as Sasori's, and light green eyes with black circles around them. He wore a purple tee shirt with some faded jeans, but he looked distant from everyone else.

I dragged Shikamaru over to where the red head was and asked him, "Hey, do you want to join our group…"

The red head looked up, getting the hint that I was trying to get his name so he said in a deep voice, "Gaara, and I guess that would be alright."

I smiled at him and asked, "Do you know Shikamaru-san?"

He gave me a dull nod so I sat in the empty desk next to his, Shikamaru following.

"So, any ideas for a book?" I asked.

Shikamaru put his hands behind his head and said, "How about something short and less troublesome."

Gaara sighed and said, "He's always like this Sakura-san, right?"

"Yeah, but you can just call me Sakura, that goes for you too Shikamaru-san," I said, and Shika grunted, "Hmm, how about we read something that has some action in it?"

At this both Shikamaru and Gaara perked up.

"You mean to say you're not one of those annoying girls that loves all of the romance crap?" Shikamaru asked intrigued.

I shrugged, playing with my braid, I said, "Well, I do like romance, but I find action much more entertaining."

"I like you already," Shikamaru smirked.

"As do I," Gaara answered in return.

I rubbed the back of my head and said, "Thanks, it's good to know that I have made two friends already this early into the day."

Our conversation went on from there, mostly about myself. I told them that I was an orphan with my brother who was their age, and that I lived in the Akatsuki Orphanage. That's where the conversation really picked up.

"Wait you live at the Akatsuki Orphanage?" Gaara asked.

I nodded sheepishly, "Yeah, that's what I said, is that bad?"

Gaara and Shikamaru both shook their head, and Shikamaru said, "No, it's just that we hear a lot about that place. More than half of the girl population in this school would kill to be in your situation right now actually."

I gave them a "huh" look so Gaara answered, "Many of the girls here claim to be in love with your housemate, Sasuke Uchiha. Since you live with him, many girls will become jealous of you."

I smiled at them and said, "That's not really a problem since I think the guy is a total jerk. He hates me, I hate him simple."

At this Shikamaru smirked saying, "I'm glad to see that you aren't one of those troublesome fan girls."

"Indeed," Gaara gave his two cents.

I rubbed the back of my head saying, "Well, I'm glad to hear it. Now how about that book?"

They both smirked at me and were about to answer, but the bell rung interrupting them. I picked up my bag and books and got up quickly saying, "I have to get going, I still don't know where my next class is, so I'll see you three later."

I saw them wave at me as I exited Nagato's classroom, so I just smiled at my new found friends.

As I looked at my schedule closer I saw something very strange. Every single one of my classes, except history, was advanced. Why did Kakashi put me in all advance classes! That made no sense, and it was slightly freaking me out now. Now I had to find where the Advanced Science class was.

I wondered around the hallways looking at all of the signs that were _supposed_ to direct me, not get me lost. I saw some people laugh at me or stare, but I ignored it as I normally do.

I looked into the crowd of people and saw my savior, spiky blond hair. "Naruto-kun!" I shouted to get his attention. I saw him turn at my voice and spot me right away. He waked over to where I was and said, "Hey there Sakura-chan! How was your first hour?"

I grinned and said, "Good I made some new friends, but that's not why I called you over here. Do you know where room 135 is?"

His face got a funny look as he said, "I was looking for that room too, huh I thought you only had one advanced class."

I gave him I dry look and said, "Kakashi-san put me in all advanced classes except for history…jerk."

Naruto then started to laugh at me and then grab my hand saying, "Well we don't want to be late now do we?" He then proceeded to drag me down the hallway to find our science class…and we had only 30 seconds left before we were late.

As we looked all over, my quick eye spotted the room so I tugged Naruto in my direction saying, "Found it baka."

When we got to the doorway, I put my hand on the handle and turned the knob slowly. Once the door was open everyone in the class looked our way, making things slightly awkward.

Then I looked at the teacher.

Now _he_ was scary.

The man was stark pale, his skin almost looked scaly, and had long black hair. He had a strange symbol on his necklace as well as the earrings he wore. His eyes were probably what freaked me out the most. They were yellow and snake like, as if he was waiting to just swallow you whole, and a purple paint outlined his eyes, much like how Jiraiya had his red paint on his face.

"Oh, new children I see," the strange teacher said in a raspy voice. Even his voice was pretty damn freaky.

I looked at my brother, waiting for him to answer, but his eyes were just wide as he stared at the teacher and analyzed him. So I sighed and said, "We're new here."

The man smirked at me, kinda pedophile like if you ask me, and slithered, "I can see that, how about you two introduce yourself to the class?"

I gave him a small nervous nod, and looked towards the class to see that Sasuke was in the crowd of students. I groaned internally, praying that my…weird…teacher wouldn't seat me next to him.

"My name's Sakura Namikaze, pleased to meet you," I said sweetly, then I nudged Naruto so that he could say his name.

He grunted out, "Naruto Namikaze."

The room started whisper and I caught words like 'brother and sister' 'weird' 'interesting subjects' and so on. I just stared at them, saying nothing.

The odd teacher smirked and said, "Well I'm Orochimaru-sensei, how about you two take your seats next to my two favorites back there, Kabuto-kun, Sasuke-kun raise your hands."

Damn it.

I saw the two of them raise their hands, the one named Kabuto raised his happily and Sasuke raised his rather grudgingly. And what was with the 'kun's' as the end of their names? That was just creepy.

My blond haired brother and I walked over to where Kabuto and Sasuke sat at a table set up for four people. Kabuto and Sasuke sat on one side so Naruto and I took the vacant seats across from them. As soon as we sat down Sasuke gave us a very hard glare, and Kabuto pushed up his glasses, observing us.

We just sat there and said nothing.

"Now class," Orochimaru slithered, "today we will be doing an _experiment_. A personal favorite of mine actually. Now we'll be combining different elements with the organs of a dead lamb's, the objective is to create a strong reaction within the lung without completely destroying it. You have your materials in the back, all of them numbered by your tables, now go."

I just sighed and asked, "What table number are we?"

"_Seven_, Sakura-chan," Kabuto said while grinning, "Sasuke-kun, how about you go and get the materials, hm?"

"Hn," Sasuke said as he got up and went to the back.

When he was out of earshot, Kabuto leaned near us and asked, "So what's up with Sasuke-kun glaring at you?"

"Why do you need to know?" Naruto asked, putting his hands behind his head.

Kabuto shrugged, "I'm always interested in others, is that a crime Naruto-kun?"

"Ugh, don't call me that," Naruto whined.

Kabuto then turned his attention to me asking, "Setting Sasuke-kun aside for later, I'm curious as to why you two look nothing alike, and her hair color does puzzle me as well."

This guy asked a lot of questions, and he was starting to raise my temper. Not good.

So I said through clenched teeth, "Naruto-kun looks like our father, and I look like my mother. And my hair is naturally pink because our dad had blond hair, and our mom had red hair."

Kabuto nodded again and was about to open up his mouth to answer more question, but the arrival of Sasuke stopped him. Sasuke place the materials on the table; the lamb lungs, droppers, blades, beakers, and an assortment of chemicals.

I stood up and said, "I guess we should get started."

Naruto grinned, Kabuto smirked, and Sasuke guess what…glared.

But of course we couldn't start until Kabuto asked just two more questions, "So how are you in this class Sakura-chan, since I know your younger than you brother here. And where do you live?"

Okay I get why he would ask why I'm in this class, but did he really have to ask where I lived? This guy was just plain strange…and I got some bad vibes from him.

"Hey you don't need to ask where we live," Naruto grumbled at him.

"Why are you in this class?" Sasuke asked stoicly.

I sighed and answered, "Kakashi-san put me in all advanced classes except history, don't ask me why."

Naruto started to laugh at this and said, "I'm glad you're in this class, cuz that means I can keep an eye on you!"

At this I hit him in the back of the head and said, "Let's just get started."

When everything was out of the box, I grabbed some red chemical and asked, "Any idea what this is?"

Naruto and Sasuke shrugged but Kabuto said, "Give me that Sakura-chan."

I just nodded and gave it to him as he combined it with some of the other chemicals. Once he was done with his mixture, he opened an incision in the lung and poured the chemical in. The whole time I thought he looked like some mad scientist.

We all moved in closer to see what was going to happen, and then all of a sudden the lung started to pump up and down, as if it was still alive. I turned my emerald eyes at Kabuto and scrutinized him; he worried me and had to be watched.

At that very moment Orochimaru came up from behind Naruto and me and put his hands on our shoulders. I almost jumped if it wasn't for my calm state of mind. Naruto just tensed up.

"Looks like you two will fit in well Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan…and good work Kabuto-kun," Orochimaru said in that snake like voice of his.

"Thank you Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto said.

Then Orochimaru left, with a small smile on his face as he looked at Naruto and me.

Naruto glared at the snake man's back and asked, "So, what do we do now?"

Kabuto sat back in his seat as he watched the lungs pump and said, "How about we get to know you two a bit better, that sound alright?"

Naruto, Sasuke, and I just sat down in our seats. I started to play with my braid, waiting for whatever questions Kabuto had to ask us.

"So Sasuke-chan, do to your constant glaring can I assume that you know these two?" Kabuto asked.

Sasuke turned on a blank face and said, "They live at the orphanage with me, that's all. And don't use chan in my name you dolt."

Kabuto's interest was now peaked at hearing where we lived. He turned his eyes to Naruto and me, pushed up his glasses, and inquired, "So you two live with Sasuke-kun? I guess that means your orphans, I'm sorry to hear it. How long have you been living there?"

Naruto just growled out in frustration, "Only a couple of days, why do you have to ask so many damn questions?"

Kabuto shrugged, "I'm going to be a scientist so it's only natural Naruto-kun. "

I was really starting to get a truly bad vibe from this guy, and I just needed that bell to ring. He asked too many questions, something Naruto and I didn't like from experience. When people ask too many questions that normally means that they want something from you.

Kabuto then turned to Sasuke and asked, "Why are you glaring at them Sasuke-chan, I can't see how these people who have only lived you for a couple of days could already gain so much of your hatred."

Sasuke just glared and said, "That is none of your business Kabuto, so how about you just shut up."

"Temper, temper," Kabuto tisked, "You know how I love my information cards, and these two are the only ones I don't have anything on."

"Information cards?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

Kabuto smirked and pulled something out of his bag, "Yes, I keep info. cards on everyone in the school. Things like their names, where they live, how old they are, what grade there in, you know things like that. Would you like to see them?"

And that when the bell rang, thank Kami.

I gathered up my things quickly, as did Naruto, and we high tailed out of there, leaving Sasuke to deal with Kabuto.

"What the hell was up with that guy?" Naruto exclaimed when we were in the hallway.

I laughed and said, "I don't know, but I don't like him. So what's your next class Naruto-kun?"

Naruto pulled out his schedule and smiled, "Math with Yahiko, I love that guy."

I looked at mine and said, "Same here."

He then put his arm around me and said, "I'm so glad I don't have to go into math alone! Thank you Sakura-chan!"

I just smiled at let his arm stay around my shoulders, knowing that it made him happy to know I was safe and close by. He was truly worried about me, and he always wanted me in his sight. He was very protective and loving of me, it all probably stemmed from the promise he made to our father.

We found Yahiko's class easy, since it was down a couple of doors from Orochimaru's. When we stepped in we were suddenly caught in a hug by our housemate, who was now also our teacher. He kept the two of us in his arms as he exclaimed, "Thank Kami you here! I thought I was going to die under all the stupidity of my students."

I laughed as I heard people shout in protest at him and said, "Yahiko, how about you let go of us so you can start class okay?"

Yahiko grumbled but complied, then he said, "You two are sitting near my desk next to Gaara and Kankuro back there, oh and introduce yourselves."

I nodded and turned to the class, who was already seated and said, "My name is Sakura Namikaze, and this is my brother-"

Naruto cut me off saying, "Naruto Namikaze."

I nodded, and once again a girl shouted, "Aw! You two are adorable! Can they sit next to me Yahiko-sensei?" When the girl said this other girls started to ask, and fight and I just sighed while Naruto laughed.

"See what I mean," Yahiko sighed to us, then addressed the fighting girls, "No, I have already decided where they will sit, now stop fighting or I will mark you down as a fail on our next test, since I _do_ have the power to do that."

The girls groaned, and sat back down. So I walked over to where Gaara was. I sat down next to him, and Naruto sat behind me. "It's nice to see you again Sakura," Gaara said to me.

I smiled at him and said, "Yeah same here."

Then Naruto popped up right behind my head and looked towards Gaara, "How do you know my sister?"

Gaara looked slightly stunned at my brother, so I just pushed Naruto back into his seat and said, "Naruto-kun, this is my _friend_ Gaara, be nice."

"It's nice to meet you Naruto-san," Gaara said with a small smile at Naruto's antics.

"You too I guess," Naruto said.

"Hey what about me?" the boy named Kankuro exclaimed.

Gaara looked behind him where Kankuro was sitting and said, "This is my elder brother, Kankuro."

Kankuro looked at Naruto and me, then he looked right at me and stuck his hand out saying sweetly, "Nice to meet you cutie."

"Uh thanks, same here," I said shaking his hand.

"Watch it buddy!" Naruto yelled.

"Is there a problem back there?" Yahiko asked before he started the lesson.

"Nothing Yahiko-sensei," Gaara answered evenly. Yahiko nodded and started the lesson. Class from there was pretty easy. Yahiko taught us the lesson, which I thought was rather easy to do, and then he gave us time to do our worksheet for homework. I was done in ten minutes.

"Sakura-chan, can you help me please!" Naruto whispered loudly.

I sighed, but then Yahiko came over and looked at me asking, "Why are you just sitting there? I wanted to give you time to do your homework so you didn't have to do it back at home."

I smiled at him and said, "Already done."

Yahiko gave me a bewilder look and took my homework to look it over. His eyes just got wider and wider as he went down the page; he then looked at me with a big smile and said, "You are smart, just like Nagato said. No wonder you're in advanced classes," he then ruffled my hair, slightly messing up braid, "Nice work Sakura."

He then gave me my paper back and said, "Oh and we're getting ice cream after school, so tell your brother to finish soon so we can stay out for a while."

I smiled, happy to know that he thought I was smart. Plus he wanted to take us out for ice cream! It had been forever since I had any. Now I was sure that going to the Akatsuki Orphanage was defiantly the right thing to do.

"Come on Sakura-chan help me!" Naruto said from behind, not even trying to whisper anymore.

I sighed and turned around to help him with what I thought was simple. While I was helping him Gaara asked, "I'm guessing Yahiko-sensei also stays at the Akatsuki Orphanage?"

I nodded his way and said, "Yeah, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato all live at the Orphanage. Do you have Konan as your teacher?"

Both Gaara and Kankuro shook their heads, and then Kankuro said as he did a problem, "Our sister though has Konan-sensei for history in fifth hour."

I had already memorized my schedule and knew that I had Konan as a teacher fifth hour so I asked, "Oh, I do too, what's your sister's name?"

"Temari, she's the same age as Kankuro," Gaara answered.

I nodded and then helped Naruto with his last problem before I asked, "Kankuro, are you older than Gaara, I thought you two were the same age as Naruto-kun." At the mention of his name, Naruto perked up a bit.

Gaara smirked and said, "My brother and sister are both the same age, and are a year older. Kankuro got held back for obvious reasons."

At this Kankuro's face got red as he said, "Hey Gaara don't make me sound like an idiot! Especially in front of a pretty girl!"

I laughed and said, "Thanks for the compliment Kankuro-san."

Naruto laughed, "Ha! You're dumber than me. And don't flirt with my sister so openly."

Kankuro and Naruto then continued to glare at each other, so Gaara said, "What lunch do you two have?"

"C-lunch, so does Naruto-kun."

"Same, would you care to eat with us?"

At this Naruto smiled at Gaara and said, "Of course! I like you, but just keep your brother away from my sister."

"Stop being so overprotective Naruto-kun," I growled at him. Just then the bell rang, so I stood up slowly and said, "Well Naruto-kun and I have Gym next so we've got to go."

The two brothers nodded and said their goodbyes. Yahiko then came up to us and said, "Hey, is your day going good, or do I need to give someone a detention?"

I grinned at him and said, "It's going good, no need to give anyone any punishment yet."

"Good, how about you Naruto?"

"It's okay, can you give Sasuke-teme a detention tough for being an asshole?" Naruto asked.

Yahiko laughed and said, "I know that ever since Jiraiya talked to us things have been tense between the three of you, and I know how Sasuke can be. But he will get better; at least I think he will."

"I hope you right," was all I said before I dragged Naruto into the hallway only to run into someone and drop my things.

I landed on my butt and said without looking up, "Sorry about that."

The man I ran into crouched down and said, "My fault Sakura, here let me help you." I looked up from under my bangs and saw Deidara helping me pick up my things. Naruto also had one of my books in his hands.

When we were all done picking up my things I took them and said, "Thanks Deidara, so where are you heading?"

"_Gym_," he said with despair, "you guys?"

"Same here," Naruto grumbled.

Now both of them were upset, so I said, "How about we just go to gym and get it over with okay?"

Deidara smiled a bright smile and said, "Kay just follow me."

As we walked down the hallway I heard people say things like 'why are they talking to him' 'they must be from _that_ place' 'lucky!' 'that place is full of weirdos' and things like. Plus some of their stares were just plain noticeable.

I huffed, "Why does everyone always look at us funny?"

"Sorry about that," Deidara said rubbing his head, "The Akatsuki Orphanage kind of has a reputation here, from drops outs, like Hidan, to amazingly cool guys like me, Sasori, or Itachi, though I don't know what they saw in the Uchiha…"

He then proceeded to trail off.

When we finally got to the gym someone just flashed to our side in seconds and exclaimed, "Kakashi told me about you two! You two have youth, I can already see it!"

I heard Deidara groan as we turned to look at a man in, was that a green spandex jumpsuit? He also had a strange bowler haircut. Then out of nowhere, what looked like a miniature version of the older man popped up next to him doing the same thumbs up pose that the teacher was doing. They both had big eyes, and _really_ big eyebrows.

I sweat dropped and thought who the hell these people were?

I looked at my two blond companions and saw that Deidara just face palmed him while Naruto was still in a stunned state looking at the little stars that danced around the two men in the spandex.

I was the first to speak as I asked, "Uh, youth?"

The younger version came forward and took my hand saying, "Yes the amazing springtime of youth! You have much of it I can see! What is your name you beautiful girl."

I nervously laughed and wondered if this guy was serious. Looks like the boys comment brought Naruto back down to earth as he said, "Hey no flirting with Sakura-chan! How times do I have to say it to get it through these guys' thick skulls?"

"Ah, so Sakura-san? That's a very youthful name, will you be my girlfriend?" The young boy asked.

Now Deidara's face got red as he said, "Get the hell away from us Lee!"

"But I must wait for my cherry blossoms answer!" Lee shouted.

I just stood there looking at the scene in front of me, what looked like my teacher was now encouraging Lee, Lee was staring at me with stars in his eyes, Naruto and Deidara looked like they were about to kill the kid, and other kids walked in looking at the strange scene as if it was normal.

I sighed and said, "Lee was it? Well, I'm sorry but I really don't date."

At these words Naruto and Deidara high fived each other, Lee started to cry, and our teacher consoled him telling him to never give up on me. I really wish he wouldn't tell him that.

I walked up to my teacher and said, "Um, sensei, Naruto-kun and I are new, and we need some uniforms for gym, can we have them please?"

The teacher looked down at me and said cheerfully, "I'm Maito Gai, your teacher! And here are your uniforms now change while I console my Lee!" He pulled our uniforms out of nowhere and shoved them into my hands, and then went straight back to hysterical Lee.

I just looked stunned at what had taken place within a couple of minutes. Deidara and Naruto came up behind me and then Deidara said, "Don't worry; they're like that a lot. Nothing we can do about it, so how about you give Naruto his clothes and change?"

I just nodded and handed my brother his uniform, and then Deidara dragged Naruto off to the men's changing room. I gathered myself and then walked into the girls changing room. When I went in I ran into someone, why did I keep on doing that?

"Sorry, I wasn't looking," I apologized. Then I looked at the person who I ran into and internally cringed, it was that Karin girl I saw at the store.

Karin looked at me and said, "You should be Pinky, now out of my way."

I nodded and said, "You know, acting like a bitch will only make you ugly."

She turned on her heels at this and fumed, "Why you little! Watch yourself."

Ha, no comebacks.

I walked to where all of the girls were and then started to change into my uniform; a plain white top with green shorts. Making sure my hair was still in its braid I walked out of the changing room to look for my brother and Deidara.

"Sakura-chan over here!" I heard Naruto shout.

I looked over and saw him standing with Deidara. I walked over and saw that they were wearing the same thing as me, except their shorts were longer. As I walked over I heard someone shout at me, "Hey Pinky! I need to talk to you."

I looked behind me to see that Karin and a blond haired girl were walking up to me. I turned around and said in a bored tone, "What do you want Karin-san."

"You need to be put in your place, plus I don't like you," Karin pointed her finger.

I sighed, "Look I don't want any trouble so how about you run along, I have to go."

I walked over to where my brother was and when I was only a couple feet away, I felt someone grasp my arm. The blonde one that was with Karin.

I looked blankly at her and said, "Please let go of arm."

"So I hear you live with Sasuke-kun," the blonde said completely ignoring my request, "well you can't have him!"

This caused the girls to gather around us, so I snatched my arm back and said, "Just because we live in the same place doesn't mean that I like him, now back off."

Now the girls were whispering, some were already in my other classes, some weren't. So I just stood there and listened to their whispers, just as I had all day.

Then the whispers stopped, and someone said in a deep voice, "Come on Sakura, the dobe wants you."

I looked behind me to see Sasuke in the gym uniform. The girls all swooned 'Sasuke-kun' but I just huffed, "Of course he does, I'm coming. How about you entertain your fans Sasuke-san."

Sasuke didn't say anything but just followed me as I walked towards my brother. "What was that all about Sakura-chan?" my brother asked.

I waved my hand and smiled, "Nothing to worry about Naruto-kun now how-"

"My youthful students! Today we will be sparing each other, now find a partner and go at it!" I was interrupted by Gai.

I just nodded and asked, "Hey Naruto-kun, want to spar?"

He grinned and said, "'I'm going to beat you this time!"

"Yeah sure," I laughed.

When we went to our spot I saw Deidara sparing with Sasuke, and my friend Shikamaru and another kid with white eyes was sparing on our other side. I waved at Shikamaru and said, "Hey Shikamaru-san."

He waved a lazy hand at me and said, "Hey Sakura, this is Neji," he said jutting a hand out at the boy with long brown hair and white eyes. I said, "Hello, my names Sakura Namikaze."

He nodded and went to kick Shikamaru, who dodged.

I smiled and then took my place from across Naruto, we were about to fight but our teacher came up to us and said, "Hey no opposite genders can fight, that could end badly."

Naruto smirked and said, "Eh, don't worry we do this all the time, right Sakura-chan?"

I nodded and smirked as well, "Sure do and I'm going to win again."

I then lunged forwards and aimed a high kick, but Naruto flipped backwards just in time. He then jumped up and aimed a punch to my stomach, but I caught it and twisted it behind his back.

"Give up already Naruto-_kun_?"

"Not a chance Sakura-chan!"

He kicked his leg backwards, and I had to let go of his arm to dodge. He then punched towards my head, but I ducked to the ground and swung my leg out, trying to kick his legs out from under. But he jumped up and flipped again. I then ran forward and did a roundhouse kick, and it made contact with his shoulder. He was flung back but he stood right back up.

"That was a hard one," Naruto grunted.

I put my hands out in a fighting stance and said, "Oh come on, you're the older brother right?"

We then continued to fight this way, and we failed to notice that the rest of the kids were done with their matches and were now watching the two of us with wide eyes, including Sasuke and Deidara.

I flipped back again and shouted, "Hey watch where you throw your punches, remember what happened last time!"

"Yeah I do," Naruto laughed.

I growled and raised a hand to _look_ like I was about to punch him, but I faked and slid under his legs. I stood right up and then kicked him down and sat on top of him cross legged. I smiled my winning smile and said, "I win, again."

Naruto groaned, "I let you win."

"Sure you did Naruto-kun," I said sarcastically as I got off of him and helped him up. That's when I noticed all of the people staring at us. They all started to say things like 'that was amazing!' 'dude she's scary' 'can you teach me how to do that?'

I rubbed the back of my head, as did Naruto and said, "Uh, were done Gai-sensei."

I looked to where my teacher was and saw that he was…crying? I went towards him but he shouted, "That was amazing! You two have so much youth I don't even know what to do with it! Amazing!"

"Uh…"

"That was great guys," Deidara said coming up from behind us putting a hand on either of our shoulders, "You have to teach me how to do that."

"In your dreams pretty boy," Naruto said crossing his arms playfully, "Me and Sakura-chan are the only ones that can do this."

"Why is that?"

"Cuz we're awesome duh!"

**~Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto just the plot line to this story.**

**So this is part one of their first day! Part two will feature Lunch, History, and Art! That will be a fun one to write. I really wanted to introduce some characters like Gaara, Shika, and Kabuto. Kabuto was a lot of fun to write since he's weird and stuff like that.**

**Thank you to all those that reviewed and such Please do so again and tell me what you thought…I would like many reviews since this chapter was 15 fricken pages long:)**


	11. Konoha High School PT 2

_**Konoha High**_

I was now at my locker getting my lunch out that Konan had made for me. Deidara was next to me getting his lunch out of his locker as well; our lockers were right next to each other. When I inquired why he didn't just go out for lunch he pouted, "That old prune Kakashi said that I'm the _only_ senior that can't go out for lunch."

I laughed, "No surprise since you blew up that book he seems to love so much."

Deidara just kept pouting so I said, "How about we find Naruto-kun and go to the cafeteria kay?"

Deidara smiled at me, his blond hair covering half of it, and slung a hand over my shoulder saying, "Let's go Sakura, un."

He and I walked down the hallway with his hand around my shoulder. It was strange that he was already so close to me, but I liked having a close friend. Plus, the blond haired artist was a good guy no matter how much he seemed to like to blow stuff up.

"Sakura-chan, Deidara! Over here!"

We looked to the hallway to our right and saw my brother waving his hands in the air trying to catch our attention. Deidara and I walked over to where Naruto was smiling that bright smile, but then the smile turned to a frown as he crossed his arms, bento in hand.

"Deidara…" Naruto trailed off.

"Yeah?"

"Please get your hand off Sakura-chan's shoulder, I don't need another person flirting with her," Naruto said with all seriousness.

Deidara sighed, "Oh come on, we're friends. I've known her for what, four days?"

I smirked and said, "Naruto-kun, if you get this protective you're going to make high school stink. Plus you know I can take care of myself."

We started to walk down the halls when Naruto went on, "But I've heard a lot of guys talk about you and how pretty you look, I was literally an inch from yelling at them. Why did you have to be a guy magnet?" Naruto face palmed.

I shrugged out of Deidara's hold and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder soothing him, "I'm not a magnet, it's just because I'm new, and I hear the same thing about you. The girls in my class love you, I don't know why they would though," I add with a smirk.

"Really they like me? Awesome," Naruto shouted putting his hands behind his neck.

I mentally sighed, why was it that when people liked me he would get all protective. But when he heard about girls liking him he was all fine and dandy with it. I swear one of these days he is going to get the beating of a lifetime from me.

"Sakura, Naruto wait up," a male voice said from behind us.

The three of us looked around to see Kankuro smiling and Gaara trailing behind him with a small smile. When they came up to us Kankuro asked, "So still eating with us or…"

I nodded and said, "Yup, you can eat with the three of us."

"Who are you two?" Deidara asked curiously from my side.

"Friends of Sakura and Naruto," Gaara answered in his scratchy voice.

Deidara nodded and said, "Well you two don't seem too bad, so whatever un." Deidara then proceeded to walk into the cafeteria and we followed. The lunch room was large with booths, long tables, and round tables. The symbol for Konoha was painted onto the wall large enough for everyone to see. It was a calming place surprisingly.

When we found a table we all sat down, I asked Deidara, "So who do you normally eat with?"

Opening his bento box he said, "Well I-"

He was cut off when a flash of orange sat down next to him. I looked to see that Yahiko was now sitting in between Deidara and Naruto, with a large smile on his face that seemed to be permanent every once in a while.

"He sits with us cuz he has no other friends the poor kid," Yahiko laughed out patting Deidara on the back.

"Yahiko be nice," Konan said from behind me as she took a seat by my side, Nagato following sitting on the other side of Naruto. I looked to my left where Kankuro and Gaara sat next to me. Gaara's face was neutral, with a small smirk, but Kankuro was grinning something akin to a cat's grin.

I laughed at Yahiko and said, "Be nice to Deidara, he has friends."

"I can see that now since there are two new people at this table," Yahiko said pointing to Gaara and Kankuro, "I didn't know that you two were friends with the blond idiot."

"Hey that's offensive, un!" Deidara exclaimed.

"We were supposed to eat with Naruto and Sakura," Kankuro answered.

"Oh, well that makes more sense than you two actually wanting to hang out with the hot head," Yahiko sighed.

"Bastard why do you have to be a jerk," Deidara growled.

"Yahiko," Nagato sighed, "please refrain from teasing Deidara or else he won't shut up."

I opened up my bento box and started to eat, watching what was going on around me. Deidara was yelling at Yahiko, who was still teasing him, Nagato was talking with Naruto, Gaara was eating and observing like me, and Kankuro was joining in on teasing Deidara. I looked to my side and saw Konan smiling down at me. Curious I asked, "Why are you smiling?"

Konan, smile still there, said, "Oh no reason Sakura-chan, no reason."

That sly smile was still on her face, her golden eyes shimmering. Either she knew something I didn't or she was going to do something. Strange if you ask me.

"Sakura," Gaara called.

I turned my head to him, my braid swinging at the action, and asked, "What is it Gaara?"

Gaara, who was right next to me, leaned in and whispered, "The man in the corner over to the right has been staring at us for a while, do you know him?"

My emerald eyes narrowed at his words. I lifted my head to look to where Gaara said to look, to find a man who was dressed in a black dress shirt and jeans. He looked older, but still young, and he had black choppy hair, similar to Naruto's but not as sharply cut. His eyes were what caught my own. One was red, while the other was black, and they bored into my own. I felt as if his gaze was searing.

I was brought out of my intense staring by the soft voice of Konan asking if I was alright. I nodded and said, "I need to check on something, be right back."

She nodded, giving me a quick look, as did Gaara. I gathered up my empty bento box and walked to my locker to put it away, and to think. Why did that man seem familiar? I had never seen someone with a red eye and a black eye before so he shouldn't feel familiar, it just didn't add up.

Then an idea hit me quick and hard. What if he was sent by the Tobi person? My heart skipped a beat to think that he was after us again so soon. But I couldn't think about it, Naruto and I weren't alone any more. We had people who said they would help and protect us, nothing to worry about…yet.

I put my bento in my locker and sighed. When would we get peace, it wasn't fair that our parents left us with something that seemed to be nothing but a magnet for people who wanted to kill us. They should've prepared us better or something like that.

As I slammed my locker door in frustration I heard footsteps behind me. Thinking the worse, as usual, I turned around quickly to come face to face with Nagato. His greyish purple eyes held my emerald ones as he studied me with a knowing look.

He walked forward and looked down at me and asked softly, "Are you alright? You seemed troubled when you left."

I sighed, "It's nothing, I'm just being paranoid…it's really nothing important."

Nagato looked at me closely, but said no more, seeing that I didn't want to talk about it. Instead he gave a small smile and asked, "Did Yahiko tell you that we were going to take you and your brother out for ice cream?"

Glad for the change in subject I nodded happily, "Yeah he was very excited about it."

"That's probably because we haven't all gone out in a while."

I raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Itachi, Kisame, Hidan, and Sasori will be meeting us there. We haven't been out together in a while; it'll be good for us I suppose."

"Of course."

The bell then ran singling that we had six minutes to get to class. Nagato smiled at me and said, "I'll see you later Sakura."

I smiled at him in return and went to get my things for history. I was glad that Nagato was able to keep my mind off of being worried; he seemed to have that effect to just make me forget. It was a good feeling.

I walked to my fifth hour, which was Mythology with Konan. I ignored all of the stares at me, brushing them off as if they were dust on my shoulders. The stares would probably be gone by the end of the week anyways.

As I entered Konan's class I noticed for the first time today I was actually early.

I grinned when I saw Konan's beautiful honey eyes, and she gave me a small smile in return. "Sakura-chan you're sitting behind Temari, the blond girl in the front."

I nodded at her and took my seat behind the girl named Temari. I remembered that Gaara and Kankuro had mentioned that their sister was in this class, so this must've been her.

"Hey you're that girl Kankuro told me about, pleased to meet you I'm Temari," the girl suddenly said turning around in her seat.

I grinned and said, "Uh yeah, you must be Temari-san, nice to meet you."

She gave me a fiery smile as she stared at me. I took her in and could immediately tell that she was not one of those fragile girls, but someone strong with a spit fire personality. Her spiky sandy blond hair is what caught my eye, since I was used to very strong blonds not subtle ones.

Konan's voice brought the both of us out of studying each other when she said, "Okay, now today we are going to start on the legend of Izanagi and Izanami. Izanagi was the God of Destruction and Courage, while Izanami was the Goddess of Creation and Intelligence. Now everyone get out something to write notes since the story of these two is complex."

I pulled out some paper and a pen, and when Konan saw everyone do the same she continued, "Izanagi and Izanami were said to be the heads of the Japanese Gods, for there is nothing higher than Creation and Destruction. The two complemented each other well, and they married. Izanami was a women of grace and intelligence, which she gave to the humans she created. Izanagi may have been Destruction, but his Courage he passed onto the humans as well, wanting to make the creatures his wife made even better. As time went on, creatures from Yomi, the shadowy land of the dead, came to destroy the peace and prosperity that Izanagi and Izanami created. Seeing that the creatures intended to destroy the beloved humans they created, they put their powers of Creation and Intelligence into a human object, Destruction and Courage went into another human object."

She paused for a moment waiting for everyone to finish the notes they took. She then began again, "These objects were exactly the same, the only difference was the color. To this very day it is not confirmed what object Izanagi and Izanami put their powers into though. They then gave these objects to two humans who they deemed worthy of their amazing power. The humans used these objects to defeat the creatures from Yomi, bringing about peace. But there were people who wanted to take the objects and use them for their own selfish purposes. So the two humans entrusted with the objects passed them down to their children, and the cycle repeated."

When she finished I was still in deep thought about what I had heard. This myth was told to me before by my father, he loved this one. He said that I should always remember it and keep it close to my heart. I still remember that soft smile of his whenever I asked the same question over and over.

_Flashback_

"_Daddy, why didn't Izanagi and Izanami take care of the bad guys themselves, weren't they powerful enough?" I asked._

_My father smiled down at me and gathered me into his arms, "Well I like to think that they knew we humans were going to need their powers one day when they were no longer there to watch over us. They gave us something to protect us and teach us."_

_I pouted and whined, "But why would they leave everything to us? That doesn't sound fair to me."_

_My father laughed and said, "So we could become stronger of course, stand up for ourselves. That's what Izanagi and Izanami wanted Sakura-chan."_

_End of Flashback_

I smiled at the memory, barely hearing the bell that told me it was time to leave. When I gathered my books I rubbed my cheek to see that it was wet. Had I been crying at the memory?

The lone tear fell out of my eye, and of course Konan saw.

"Why are you crying Sakura-chan?"

Seeing no point in lying to her I said, "Oh, um, it was just I remembered when my dad used to tell me that story."

She gave me a sad smile and said, "I understand."

I then walked out of the room silently, thinking about the story and making sure that no more tears fell. I grabbed my necklace for comfort, or more like grasped it for dear life. That story just brought back memories that were supposed to stay buried. My parents adored that story and told it to us countless times as a bedtime story, and they always told us that we had to fight for what was right like Izanagi and Izanami.

As I walked outside to get to my class the wind blew my braid and my stray pink locks. I just stood there and felt the wind on my face, not caring who looked. I needed something to calm me down; just clutching my necklace wasn't enough.

I gave a long sigh as I collected myself and hurried to my class. Hopefully these feelings would go away before Naruto or the others noticed. And I really hoped Konan would keep what she saw to herself, but I trusted her enough to do so.

As I walked into the art room, I instantly felt a calming and warm presence wrap around me. I had always loved art, mostly painting and drawing since my mother taught me much at a young age. She would always say that the art talent skipped my brother and went to me instead since Naruto had no artistic talent whatsoever.

"Hello there you must be Sakura-san," a black haired woman came up to me and said happily.

I nodded and said, "Yes, my name's Sakura Namikaze."

She smiled a bright smile, "You can call me Shizune-sensei now how abou-"

"Sakura-chan sit with me!"

I turned my head to see who yelled to see that it was Deidara. I looked back at Shizune and asked, "Is it alright if I sit with Deidara?"

She gave me a funny look before asking, "You know Deidara?"

I nodded, "Yeah we're friends."

She nodded in approval, "Well I see no problem with it as long as he can keep his blowing things up to a minimum."

I smiled and said, "Thank Shizune-sensei."

I then walked over to where Deidara was and sat down next to him. He gave me a large grin and exclaimed, "I'm so glad I finally have someone in this class from the Orphanage, now I'm not alone, un. Plus you're a good friend already which makes it even better."

I just smiled saying, "That's very nice of you to say Deidara."

Shizune then walked over to where we were and said, "Sakura, right now we are working on projects of our choice so choose whatever you want to do," then she added seriously, "and Deidara if you blow up another one of you clay projects I'll make sure you don't graduate _again_."

Deidara pouted, "Fine Shizune-sensei, un."

She smirked in triumph and said, "Have fun Sakura." She then walked away.

"So have you ever done art before?" Deidara asked.

I nodded and said, "Only as a child though, but when Naruto-kun and I were on the streets I used to paint to make money before I could get a job."

"Ah, so you like the type of art that Sasori does eh?" the blond artist asked sourly, "Well I bet you're better than him so it's alright."

I sweat dropped, "Uh, thanks."

I then got up and found the painting supply. I felt like painting my namesake, the cherry tree. But, I was only going to use black and red, but different shades of each. When I sat back down I did what my mother taught me and let go; just painted. As I moved my brush skillfully across the plain white paper I felt at peace, and the earlier sadness I felt left slightly. Probably because whenever I painted I felt close to my mom.

I didn't even notice that school was over until Deidara said, "Hey we've got to go and you art looks amazing, un!"

I broke out of my reverie to see that it was time to leave. Then I looked down at my painting and saw that I painted the same cherry blossom tree and bench in the Akatsuki Orphanage. Why would I paint that?

I put it on the drying rack and went back to Deidara who was waiting for me with his bag over his shoulder and his blond hair swaying in the air.

We walked side by side as we exited the school, just enjoying each other's presence. When we were at the parking lot I saw Nagato, Yahiko, Konan, and Naruto waiting for us. I smiled and asked, "So are we still getting ice cream?"

Yahiko nodded happily, "Yes we are, it's going to be great now let's get going!"

I shook my head at the elder's antics and hopped in Konan's car while Naruto and Yahiko went into Nagato's car and Deidara went in his own. Konan and I drove in silence, her giving me a quick look every once in a while, probably wondering if I was alright.

When we entered the parking lot for the modest ice cream shop I smiled; it had been so long since Naruto and I have had any ice cream.

I jumped out of the car was suddenly pulled into a hug by a blond mass. I saw the spiky locks of my brother as he shouted, "It's been four years since we had ice cream Sakura-chan! Aren't you excited?"

I just giggled, "Naruto-kun how about you get off of me and then we can get some ok?"

Naruto sheepishly pulled his arms off of me and nodded, but my attention was pulled to a sleek black car that pulled up next our own. Out of the car came Itachi, Kisame, Sasori, and Hidan.

I smiled and said, "Hello there."

Itachi came up to my side and said, "How was your first day Sakura?"

"It was nice, but I think Naruto-kun and I already made an impression."

"How so?" He asked with curiosity.

"They had some mad skills in gym class that's why!" Deidara exclaimed, "It looked like they were professional fighters or something like that, un. And Sakura-chan paints better than you Sasori!"

At this comment Sasori just smirked saying, "Then I'll have to see her paint sometime twit."

Deidara was not very happy about be called a twit, seeming as his face got all red.

"Really, you two are that good at combat?" Kisame asked pointing at Naruto and me.

"Yeah," Yahiko answered, "Gai told me, plus," he added a little saucily, "I hear you both are already popular with the opposite sex."

My face got red as did Naruto's as he shouted, "Yeah but no one's allowed to date Sakura-chan unless I allow it!"

Then I got angry and was about to shout at him but Hidan beat me to it saying, "You're fucking to protective kid. Let her live a little, cuz at the moment she looks like she can beat the living shit out of you."

Naruto then turned his attention to me and saw that I was glaring at him as I said, "Would you like a repeat of gym today?"

Naruto shook his head whining, "You totally embarrassed me Sakura-chan."

"What did you do Sakura?" Itachi asked curiously peering down at me.

"She kicked his ass that's what," Deidara laughed.

It was silent for a moment before everyone broke out in pure laughter, Deidara, Hidan, Kisame, Yahiko, or snickers, Itachi, Nagato, Sasori, and Konan.

Then Hidan barked, "You got beat by a fucking girl! That's pure gold right there kid."

Naruto sulked and said, "Well I'm getting ice cream, so how about all of you shut up!"

The laughter lowered slightly as we all walked into the ice cream shop. I got a plain vanilla cone at which Itachi said, "Seems like you and I have the same taste."

I looked up at him to see that he was eating the same thing I was. I smiled, "Yeah, looks like no one else got it. Naruto-kun always said I was boring when it came to ice cream."

Itachi grinned at me and said, "Well I can already tell you with certainty that you are in no way boring. In fact I find you very energetic."

I gave him a small smile as a blush crept up on my face, "Thank you Itachi. Sometimes I wonder how you are related to Sasuke-san."

Itachi smirked sadly this time, "My little brother is being foolish right now, there is no need to pay attention to his rude behavior."

I was about to say something, but Itachi's outstretched had stopped me in my tracks. He reached his hand across the table we were sitting at and wiped my lip with his thumb, whipping off some ice cream that was there.

And that's where my heart just stopped.

His ebony eyes bored into my own emerald ones, smiling. His black hair fell over his shoulders making him look almost angelic. While my breath was caught I didn't notice that he pulled his hand away slowly and ask, "Is something wrong Sakura?"

I shook my head, my heart beating fast again and stumbled out, "Uh, no, nothing's wrong Itachi…"

He smirked at me softly and said, "I'm sorry if what I just did made you uncomfortable at all."

My blush now matched my hair as I said, "Oh, it's alright, you don't need to apologize."

He just gave me a gentle look and said nothing more. And I didn't notice Konan's smile from the table next us.

**~ Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in anyway, just the plot of this story.**

**Ok let me start off by saying…!**

**So very sorry I took so long to update! I'm lazy and it's spring break and all, but yeah that's just more excuses.**

**Anyways, the story about Izanagi and Izanami is purely made up so please don't bash me for not putting down the real story of those two…plus the story I did in here is a hint! Try to figure it out…but you probably already can:) And I just had to throw a little danger in there with the red and blacked man, he will become a little stalker :)**

**Thank you all to those that have reviewed and subscribed, you make me happy as always!**

**And isn't Itachi just so sweet, yet a little sneak eh?**

**Tell me what you thought!**


	12. Midnight Comfort

I was running, running as fast as I could. Everywhere I looked I saw nothing but an endless black landscape, and the black water I was running on. My pink locks flew as I tried to get away from something…something sinister.

My feet carried me through the water, the liquid splashing around my feet and floor length white dress. My body could no longer run, so it fell to the water's shallow surface.

I lay on my side, gasping for breath that I didn't have. My long hair sprawled around in the water, half of my face in the water, and my white dress now soaked to the bone. Shivering now, I pulled myself up, struggling to do so. I looked out into the endless darkness hoping to find something, someone, anything.

Then in the darkness, two large shapes opened up; blood red eyes. They bore into my own, looking into my soul. A raged voice said through the darkness, "You have something I want…give it to me or everything you hold dear will be nothing more than dust."

I shook in the water, still looking at the red eyes, and failing to pin where the voice came from.

This was madness.

"I don't know what you want!" I shouted at the darkness, tears now falling down my face.

Scared, alone, empty. That's what I was right now.

"Give it to me," the menacing voice yelled.

Clenching my fists, I screamed, "Leave me alone!"

The eyes narrowed at me and the angry voice said three words that stuck fear into my heart, "So be it."

I lurched forward in my bed, taking in my surroundings. I was in my bed, in my room at the Orphanage. I looked down to see that I was wearing my long white night gown and my pink hair was dry, sprawled about on the bed.

It was all a dream.

I clutched my head, thinking how real it felt. I was sweating from the nightmare, my sheets were a mess.

"It was only a dream," I whispered under my breath.

I pulled my legs out from under the covers, and held myself in a ball, rocking myself. It all felt so real; the eyes, the voice, the threat. It was as if I knew him, but at the same time didn't.

Sitting there for a couple more minutes I decided that I needed some fresh air, so I swung my legs off the bed and stood up, not caring if the cold night was biting at my bare skin. I walked to my door quietly, so I wouldn't wake up my brother who was across from me. I glided down the stairs and my feet automatically took me outside to the garden.

My bare feet fell against the soft grass and smooth stone as I walked over to the cherry blossom tree. I sat down on the stone bench looking down into the small pond as the fish circled each other. The wind blew softly moving my hair with it. The wind was trying to comfort me, whispering its words of comfort in my ear.

I sighed, not noticing the dark figure walking my way. It was only when the figure stood in front of my view of the pond and drew a shadow over me did I look up.

Itachi stood before me in black pants, shirt, and robe. His hair slightly tousled, but still in its pony tail. His onyx eyes gazed down at me, searching my own. He then asked softly, "Couldn't sleep?"

I nodded mutely and said, "You could say that, what about you?"

Itachi then took a seat close to me and said, "Minor nightmare, are you cold?"

Without even waiting for me to answer, he took off his silk black bathrobe and laid it over my bare shoulders, the warmth from its previous owner enveloping me. I sighed, "You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to, plus it's too cold out to be wearing something with thin straps."

Out of instinct or comfort, I don't know, but I leaned my head onto his shoulder, the black cloth sliding against my pale skin. He let my head sit on his shoulder saying nothing. We stayed like this for ten minutes before he asked softly, "Do you want to talk about it?"

I sighed and snuggled against his shoulder more saying, "Do you think it would help?"

"Yes."

Bracing myself to think back to the nightmare I said, "I was running in a black landscape over water. At one point I fell and in the darkness two…_red_ eyes opened up and stared at me, they just looked at me. Then I voice yelled at me to give it something, I didn't know what. It kept threatening me and it was all just…"

I sighed, not wanting to finish. Itachi sensed my reluctance, so he put a comforting arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him. It was warm, kind, and it felt so _right_. This man, whose uncles were now after me and my brother, was the kindest person I had met in years. He didn't even care that it was a possibility that his parents were murdered because of my own; no he comforted me.

"That sounds like a horrid nightmare," Itachi said, "I had a similar one tonight, but instead of running in the darkness I stood there. I stood there and watched my parents die before my eyes again."

I took a sharp breath, "That's awful, no wonder you're up."

He smirked, "Yes, the dream and the sound of footsteps woke me up."

"Sorry about that," I whispered embarrassedly.

"That is alright, you need someone now anyways," Itachi answered smoothly.

I said nothing, and just stayed on his shoulder. After a while I asked, "Are you like Sasuke-san?"

Itachi peeled his eyes away from the moon and looked down at me asking, "Hn?"

"I mean do you think that it's our fault that your parents are dead like Sasuke-san?" I asked timidly, scared of the answer.

After a pause he said, "No, I don't. Even if your parents had something my uncles wanted, I do not blame them. And I certainly don't blame you or your brother. Sasuke is just bitter and vengeful."

"I wish this never happened," I whispered to myself. But Itachi heard me.

"Some things happen with no explanation, but we have to move forward," he said gently.

My eyes looked up to see the full moon hovering over us, its reflection shimmering on the still pond. It was a peaceful and welcoming scene. Having someone to share it with made it better.

His arm tightened around me as he saw me shiver slightly, even though I was in his warm robe. "Let's go inside so we don't get sick."

I nodded slightly and he brought me up with him, his arm still around my shoulder and my head leaning against his shoulder. We walked barefooted back into the house and into the kitchen. He let me go as I sat down at the table and asked, "What are you doing?"

Itachi smirked, "Whenever I feel sad or anyone else in the Orphanage, we have just the right remedy."

He then reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of ice cream asking, "I'm guessing that vanilla is to your liking."

I nodded with a small smile saying, "Yes, as you already know."

Itachi just smirked and got out two spoons out and walked over to the table to sit next to me. We ate our ice cream together in silence, for there were no words to be said. The presence of one another was all we needed, silent comfort that embraced us like a soft glow. The ice cream just made it better.

"Thank you," I said loud enough for his ears to hear.

He turned his black eyes to me and said, "Thank you as well Sakura."

We just stared at each other for a while, waiting for someone to say something.

"Well, look at what I found."

The new sudden deep voice behind us made the both of us turn around sharply. Our eyes looked at the man who made the comment to see Jiraiya leaning against the doorway smiling down at the both of us. He was studying us, seeing Itachi's robe over my shoulders, and how we sat close to one another.

"Jiraiya, it's not whatever your perverted head thinks it is," I said irritated.

"You guys could be great material for my new book," he said with a smirk and arms crossed.

"Absolutely not," Itachi said quickly.

"Hey you think I like you hanging out with _my_ goddaughter?" Jiraiya asked, "Yeah, well think again buddy."

Itachi sighed and ran a hand through his raven locks saying, "Is there a reason why you are up Jiraiya?"

"I heard footsteps down here and decided to check it out, now why are _you_ _two_ up?"

"We both couldn't sleep, nightmares," I said softly.

Jiraiya's face then lit with understanding as he said lovingly, "Well you two need to keep each other afloat alright?"

We both nodded then he said, "Oh and I forgot to tell you Sakura, Nagato told me that tomorrow, or I guess today, you don't have school since there is a teachers meeting. Good night."

He then walked out of the room. It was 2:30 am by the time Itachi and I went back to bed but before I went up the stairs he said, "I also do not have school today, maybe us and the others could do something?"

I smiled, "That sounds nice, thanks for everything."

I then went up to bed and fell asleep.

_**7 hours later**_

Groggily getting out of the shower I dried my hair with the fluffy white towel and wrapped another one around my body. Sighing to myself I walked into my closet and picked out some jean shorts and a baggy white button down shirt, then I placed my green crystal necklace around my neck. Sliding the shirt over my head I looked at myself in the mirror and decided that I would leave my long hair down, Naruto always told me I looked like mom when I did that anyways.

My hair still slightly damp, I walked out of the room and saw Naruto leaning on his door looking at me. He smiled brightly and said, "Hey Sakura-chan, aren't you happy we don't have school today."

I chuckled, "We have only been at school for one day and you're already sick of it?"

"Can ya blame me? Some of those people are really annoying or just downright strange."

"And we're not?"

"We don't have info. cards on everyone in the school."

I flinched, "You're right there Aniki."

As we started to walk down the stairs Naruto gave me another bright smile saying, "Hey, it's been a while since you called me that Sakura-chan, I like it."

"Don't expect to hear it too often baka."

It was true though. I hadn't called Naruto my Aniki in years. Maybe the nightmare I had brought out some old habits.

As we got off the stairs Naruto bumped into someone, making me bump into him. Because of this reaction we all fell down like a row of dominos. I huffed out a little bit seeing who we bumped into: Sasuke. Sasuke was under Naruto, and my legs were tangled between the both of them.

"Get off of me you bakas," Sasuke growled out.

"Shut up teme, you should look where you walking," Naruto grunted, still hurting from the small fall.

"Oh will both of you shut up so we can get untangled," I sighed.

When I heard snickering I looked behind me to see that Hidan and Kisame were laughing at the three of us. Naruto growled, "What's so funny? How about you help us out."

"I'm so glad we fucking found you two," Hidan laughed, his eyes looking at Naruto and me.

"Can you please help us up," I asked giving up on my brother and Sasuke doing anything.

"Sure Kitten," Kisame said reaching his hand out for me to grab.

I grasped it and he pulled me up into his arms. "Thanks," I breathed out.

Naruto then gathered himself off the floor. He then said to Sasuke, "You should learn to be a little nicer so people will help you teme."

Sasuke jumped off the floor and was about to punch my brother in the face. I myself jumped out of Kisame's arms to get between them, but Hidan beat me to it. Hidan grasped Sasuke's hand in his own yelling, "Put you fucking hand down you little bastard, control your damn temper."

Sasuke glared at Naruto then at me, and after a pause he pulled his hand out of Hidan's grip saying, "I'm going out."

Watching Sasuke walk away Kisame huffed, "He really needs to be nicer."

"Well he's a fucking prick," Hidan said crossing his arms.

Seeing Naruto silently seething I put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Let's not get angry over something as small as this, kay?"

Naruto sighed, "I don't even know what you or me did, he's just, just…ugh, I'm getting some ramen."

He then left to the kitchen, my hand now in the air where his shoulder once was. A blue hand was then placed on my shoulder, so I put my hand at my side and looked up to see Kisame giving me a small smile, "Hey Itachi told me that we were going to do something today, so how about we go eat and figure it out. And forget about Sasuke's little tantrum, its normal."

I nodded and said, "Alright."

Kisame, Hidan, and I then walked to the kitchen and saw that there was food already on the table, and Naruto was there eating his ramen. A small note was on the food saying,

_Thought someone would need to make you food –Konan_

I smiled saying, "She is really a nice person."

"Yeah, and she makes great food," Hidan said as he took his share of food, digging into it.

I sat down next to Naruto and Kisame sat next to me, Hidan sitting across from the three of us.

I ate my miso soup and fish in silence thinking about Sasuke. He seemed so angry, even before he knew everything that happened with our parents was somehow connected to his uncles. But there was something else too; loneliness, lost. I could _feel_ the emptiness of his heart, I don't know how but I could. He was lonely and didn't know why everything he held dear was taken away from him. Couldn't he see that Naruto and I were the same as him?

"Not true!"

I was brought out of my reverie by a shout behind me. I looked and saw Deidara fuming at Sasori, the reason I didn't know. But when Deidara looked my way he blushed and looked angrily at Sasori, while Sasori just gave him a knowing smirk.

"What the hell are you two fighting about now?" Hidan asked irritated.

Deidara crossed his arms tightly saying nothing while Sasori gave him a bored look, "The twit is just upset by a comment I made."

"And that would be?" Hidan asked.

Sasori smirked running a hand through his red locks saying, "Nothing."

"I hate all you damn artists," Hidan grumbled.

Kisame started to laugh saying, "Aw, but they provide great entertainment, you know how bored I get."

"Whatever."

Sasori and Deidara then took a seat on the opposite sides of Hidan, each taking some of the food Konan had made. Itachi then joined us a couple minutes later sitting next to Kisame. When we were all done eating I asked, "So what do you guys normally do when you have a free day?"

Hidan put his hands behind his head saying, "Well it depends. What do you and your brother want to do?"

I shrugged as did Naruto, who calmed down from our encounter with Sasuke. Then I said, "Well we've never been to the ocean before, and today's a nice day."

"Yes! You have no idea how happy I am right now Kitten," Kisame shouted.

"Why is it because you're a fish, un?" Deidara asked coyly.

"No, I just love the ocean, plus we live right by it and you guys never want to come with me," Kisame pouted.

"It has been a while since we have been there," Itachi added.

"I vote we go," Naruto shouted.

"Same here," I said.

"See the new guys want to go, which means we're going Blondie," Kisame said pointing at Deidara.

"Whatever," Deidara grumbled, giving Kisame a dry look.

I then stood up and gathered up everyone's dishes, but when I got to Itachi he said, "You do not need to."

I shook my head, "I've made a living off of being a waitress, I don't need help." I then picked up his dishes. When I was done putting all of the dishes away Sasori said, "Once we are already we can go, I'll inform Jiraiya or Tsunade of where we are going."

**~Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, just the plot of this story (which means no stealing)**

**Yay they're going to the beach! I have always wanted them to go to the beach and see what happens so I thought I would do something fun with it. Plus the whole itasaku moments was so much fun to write you have no idea!**

**Thank you for all that have reviewed and subscribed! So pretty please do it again since now you know that I can update faster once given the incentive…**

**P.S. Tell me your thoughts on Sakura's nightmare**


	13. Beach Troubles

When I got to my room I remembered that I had no idea whether or not I even owned a bathing suit. Going to my simple dresser, I opened up drawers until I found one filled with suits…most not exactly my taste.

Tsunade must have bought these because they were pretty much all reveling; one was one a couple of strings for Kami's sake. I huffed out a breath and dug deeper to find a red suit, a two piece that consisted of a halter top and a stringy bottom. It was the only modest one in the entire freaking drawer.

Sighing, I tossed off my clothes and put on the suit, putting a low cut long white dress over it. I then made sure my necklace was still attached around my neck. Grabbing a large stray bamboo hat, I headed out of my room and went to wait downstairs for everyone.

As I reached the bottom I saw Hidan in a purple suit and open white shirt on showing off his chiseled chest. Even I had to admit that Hidan with his purple eyes, silver slick back hair, and nice body he was hot. Heck, all of the men in this orphanage were.

"Hey there Blossom," Hidan said nonchalantly.

I smiled, "Are you excited?"

He shrugged and then put on a wicked grin, "I guess, but it would be nice to see how sexy you look in a bikini. That's what I'm looking fucking forward to."

I sweat dropped, "I'm sixteen baka."

Smile still there he said, "And?"

Before I could fight with him a large blue hand was put on my back, when I looked back I saw Kisame giving a toothy grin as he said, "Stop being a pervert Hidan."

Hidan's face turned red as he pointed a finger at Kisame yelling, "What did you just fucking say?"

I giggled a bit at the look on Hidan's face when suddenly a flip flop was thrown at his face, making an imprint. I looked behind me again to see Sasori sighing, with a grinning Deidara behind him. I then looked down to see Sasori only had one flip flop on.

"You're too loud Hidan, shut up and let's get going," Sasori said irritated.

"We still have to wait for Itachi and Naruto," Deidara said from behind Sasori.

While the boys started to argue I looked to see what everyone was wearing, besides Hidan who still had the flip flop imprint on his face. Kisame was wearing a dark blue suit bottom that matched his hair, but he had a white shark running up one of the pant legs. Sasori was wearing a plain red suit and Deidara was wearing a bright blue one, his hair still up in its pony tail. All the boys had open shirts on as well, showing off their chests.

Sudden steps made me look towards the stairs to see that my brother had miraculously found an orange suit with…ramen on it. And Itachi walked down in a black suit with a black opened shirt showing off his chest, which was a _very_ nice one.

"Let's get going!" Naruto shouted, pumping his fist into the air.

Sasori then walked forward and patted my head, which had the hat on making the hat go further down on my head. He then said, hand still on my head, "You look nice Sakura."

I blushed a bit saying, "Uh, thanks you too."

Sasori smirked as he led me outside where a large jeep with no doors was waiting for us. I smiled as did Naruto as he hopped towards the car getting in the back. Itachi went in the driver's seat, Kisame took shotgun, Naruto was in the back on the left side, Deidara sat next to him, and I sat next to him on the far right. And Sasori lied down in the back.

Now someone was missing…

"Where the hell am I supposed to fucking sit?"

I laughed a bit at Hidan's anger once again, and Sasori, who had a hat over his head as he lied across the third row said, "How about you try the roof."

Hidan just glared at him as he climbed on the roof mumbling, "Fucking lazy ass had to have the whole fucking third row to himself, bastard."

"Is he going to be alright up there?" I asked a little worriedly.

"He'll be fine Sakura-chan, he's a big boy, un," Deidara said from besides me.

When we made sure the Hidan was strapped to the roof we headed off to the beach. The wind whipped around my long pink locks, since there were no doors, on the ride there. I put a hand on my large bamboo hat to make sure that it didn't go flying off. I smiled at the sight of my brother's own radiant smile as he stuck his head out of the car, feeling the comforting wind ruffle his golden spikes.

The ride there was quiet and pleasant; except for the occasional complain from Hidan up top. When we arrived at the beach I was the first to hop out of the car and feel the soft white sand between my toes. I relished in the feeling, feeling the soft breeze and salt water smell filling up my nose. I opened my eyes to look at the blue sea with little hints of green here and there. The sun was in the perfect spot and made the water, almost glass, glisten. This was paradise.

A hand then suddenly grabbed my own. I turned my green gaze to my brother's blue one as he grinned, "Let's find a place to put all of our stuff Sakura-chan."

I let him lead me to an open area of dry sand, near an old couple and a family consisting of parents and a son. I smiled at the little boy who was trying to create a sand castle, but wasn't having much luck.

The others caught up with us, and Kisame dropped everything he hulled over to us on the sand and said, "Well you guys can set up the stuff; I'm going in the water."

With that he tossed off his shirt and splashed into the water. Naruto and Deidara followed him, making large splashes themselves, leaving everything to Itachi, Sasori, Hidan, and me. I sighed and grabbed the bag filled with towels, sunblock, food, and water. Taking out the sun block I put it down on the ground and then took off my cover up.

As I applied the sunblock to my pale skin I didn't notice what was going on behind me. Hidan was giving my body a lustful glare, Sasori looked at me with interest and Itachi looked at my body with a soft gaze. But Itachi took notice to the other boy's looks, so he kindly slapped both of them _hard_ to the sand.

Whack.

I turned around; still not knowing about their earlier looks, and saw Hidan with his head buried in the sand, Sasori in the same position, and Itachi giving them disapproving looks.

I gave Itachi a questioning look and he said, "Never mind them."

I nodded slowly and then asked, "Do you think you could get my back please, I burn kind of easy unlike Aniki."

Itachi just nodded, coming forward. He poured some of the sunblock onto his hand and started to gently rub in the white cream, making sure it blended in nicely and that I was covered entirely. I turned around and smiled at him when he finished and said, "Thanks."

After that I went to the water and swam around with Naruto, Kisame, and Deidara (who never took his eyes off of me much to my embarrassment). We then all went to eat some snacks, and then I dragged Itachi into the water, who refused to get his long ebony locks too wet. Then Sasori and Hidan came in, Hidan making large splashes and scaring the little children to the point where one of us would have to keep him under water almost drowning him.

The boys were all now on shore, and I was the only one in the water. I floated on my back, basking in the warmth of the sun against my wet skin. My hair played in the water around me, making me look slightly like a sea nymph. I closed my eyes slowly and just felt the peace and quiet around me envelope my entire being, covering me like a warm blanket.

So much had happened in only a course of a week or so. Naruto and I had found a new home, we found our long lost godfather, we went back to school, we learned more about the people after us, and we created a new family for us that promised to protect us.

I sighed, grasping my necklace in happiness, thinking about everything that Naruto and I had to go through to get to where we are now. Mom and Dad would be proud, I just know it.

As I moved my arms around my body to keep me afloat, I faintly heard some splashing, so I disregarded it. It was probably another person out for a swim.

"Sakura!"

At the shout of my name I opened my eyes to see a dark figure looming over me, the shadows hiding his face. Before I could do anything, the man pushed on my stomach, sending me underwater. I tried to collect myself underwater, and then swam up, only to be pushed down again. Knowing what I had to do, I stayed underwater, slowly loosing me breath, and opened my eyes, now stinging from the salt water. I squinted them to see my attacker's legs in front of me, so with all my strength I reached out for them and pulled his legs out from under him in one swift movement.

Taking advantage of him now being underwater, I went up and gulped the fresh air, coughing out all of the water in my lungs. I pushed my hair backwards, so that I could see the man come out from under the water, ready to attack me.

But this time I was ready.

I moved sluggishly in the water, aiming a punch at his face. But he caught my punch with his hand. So I quickly aimed another punch at his stomach with my non-captured hand. It hit square in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

I then looked behind me to see Naruto and the others trying to run as fast as they could to where I was. My small glance would cost me though.

A sudden punch connected with my own stomach, making me grunt out in pain. I saw his hand then reach for the necklace around my neck. Knowing what he was going to do, I tried to move backwards, but he caught me by the hair, pulling me towards him. I screamed out in pain, feeling the harsh pull on my long hair.

Splash.

My hair was let free, and I then grabbed my throat, trying to still get the water out of my lungs. I then looked up to see the boys now trying to attack the man who beat me up pretty harshly. Itachi aimed a swift kick to the man's shoulder while Kisame punched him in the back. The man grunted out in pain, and then reached around his neck, a small red jewel hanging from it. He held onto it and looked straight into my eyes.

"Watch your back little girl, this will never be over until Master Madara gets what he wants."

Then in a red flash he was gone. Just like that.

I calmed down a bit, seeing that the man was now gone, and held my now bruised stomach, still trying to ignore my pounding head. I barely felt the strong arms pick me and carry me out of the water as I tried to block out the pain.

I looked up to see a worried face looking down at me, Itachi. His stress marks on the sides of his deepening, and his hair was now wet from trying to beat up that man.

"Are you alright?" Itachi asked worriedly when he saw me look up.

"Fine," I grunted out, as he set me down on the towel. I didn't notice the crowd that was around us, all whispering.

"No you're-"

"Sakura-chan, are you alright," Naruto interrupted him.

Still clutching my stomach, I scrunched up my eyes and saw not only Itachi's face, but now the very worried and angry face of my brother. His head blocked the sun from my eyes.

I tried to pull myself up, but Itachi put his wet hands on my shoulder saying, "Don't get up, your stomach looks bad."

I just nodded and laid back down, then I asked, "Where are the others?"

"Looking for that damn bastard," Naruto growled out, "I'm going to tear him limb from limb for doing this to you."

I shook my head weakly at his protective nature. I breathed heavily still feeling the water sloshing around in my poor lungs. My head and stomach is what hurt the most though. From getting punched hard and my hair pulled out of my head, I was not feeling so hot.

"Shut up Naruto-kun," I whispered.

"They were after the necklace," Itachi said. It wasn't a question, it was a fact.

I nodded slowly reaching up to hold the green crystal, "He reached for it but I pulled back in time…but I have a new piece of information now."

Naruto's face jumped a bit, "What did you find out?"

I smirked, "We now know for sure that it is Madara Uchiha behind all of this, without a doubt."

_**Uchiha Corporation HQ**_

"Come in," Madara said offhand to the knock at his door. Lifting his head from his small amount of paper work, he pushed his long hair off to one side and looked at the man who entered slowly. It was the young man he had sent out to get the first necklace, and by the looks of it he failed.

Unacceptable.

"What business do you have to report Yamada?" Madara asked coolly.

Yamada bowed, "I'm sorry Master Madara, but the girl and her friends defeated me, please forgive me."

Madara contemplated the man for a moment, taking in his quivering figure. Ha, the man was scared of him, as he should be. Madara looked at Yamada with a stoic gaze, "You mean to tell me, one of my best and highly trained special operatives, got beat by a little girl and her friends."

The man took a deep breath, "Yes, sir. This girl was not a normal girl…there was something weird about her." Yamada looked up to see his master's onyx eye piercing him.

"How so?"

Gulping, Yamada said, "I don't know sir; it was as if she had something else backing up her blows. It felt as if there was this mysterious energy helping her stay alive and fight…and her eyes, sir, they flashed white for a moment…is she human?"

Madara gave him a smirk saying, "Thank you for the valuable information," then he reached into his drawer pulling out an object Yamada didn't see until it was too late, "but I cannot accept failures."

Bam.

The bullet pierced the heart of the young Yamada, his lifeless body falling to the floor bleeding out. Madara stood up and looked at the body from a distance, "Pity, he had great potential."

He then pressed a button on a speaker and said into it, "Tobi, get the cleaner up here, I have _trash_ that needs disposing of." Tobi replied saying he would.

Madara then walked around his desk and stood next to the body.

"I hope the blood doesn't stain the carpet."

**~Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto just the plot of this fanfic.**

**Sooooo, my lovely readers…why little reviews? You see that it took me longer to update than usual cuz I thought that you all hated the last chapter I did. I thought it would be a nice bonding moment, but I guess not :'(**

**Anyways please tell me what you thought of this chapter. I thought there needed to be a fight scene in here somewhere cuz, well I just needed one!**

**Thank you all that have reviewed, subscribed, favorite, ect. Please review this time cuz the next chapter is going to be intense…**

**And don't you love Madara! He wants his carpet to look nice and shiny:) And of course Hidan with his funniness and getting flips thrown at his face!**


	14. Connect the Dots

_**Akatsuki Orphanage **_

I was now huddled up on the couch, a black blanket wrapped around my body. When I told Itachi that I was sure Madara Uchiha was behind everything, he immediately picked me up, much to Naruto's protesting. He put me in the car, Naruto following and he called the others (who were still looking for the man who attacked me) and said they were going back to the Orphanage.

Now on the couch, my older brother next to me, with his arm wrapped around my small shoulders, we waited in silence for the others to get back. Itachi had a solemn look on his face; he was sitting right in front of Naruto and me. He looked in deep thought, and his eyes would sometimes gaze quickly in my direction.

Pushing my pink bangs out of my face I sighed, getting the attention of the two boys. "…Do you know what that bright red light was Itachi?"

Itachi scowled something I had never seen him do, as he said, "No, it was evil though, that's all I could tell. Are you sure you're alright, do you need anything?"

I shook my head at his concern saying, "I'm fine right where I am, don't worry so much."

"Sakura-chan, you-" Naruto started but the sudden slamming of the door stopped him.

We heard footsteps, but only one pair. Not multiple like we were expecting to hear from Kisame, Sasori, Hidan, and Deidara. Who was it?

Walking fast into the living room came Sasuke, who looked like he just ran a marathon. He was breathing hard, and his eyes had a look of fury mixed with confusion.

Itachi stood up, being his elder brother and all, and asked gently, "Sasuke, are you alright?"

Sasuke just shook his head and then picked it up to shoot his black orbs at Naruto and I as he said, "We have a problem."

"I could've told you that teme," Naruto grumbled.

Sasuke glared and then went to sit beside me, which was very out of character for him. He looked at us then Itachi, who went back to his seat as he said, "I ran into Uncle Tobi today in town."

Itachi, trying to control his emotions asked, "What did he do?"

Sasuke sighed and ran a hand through his hair, then looked at the two of us saying, "Before I say anything I want to apologize for my actions against you two…sorry."

This stunned both Naruto and me. Naruto's hand tightened around my shoulder as he pulled me closer, probably to keep himself from jumping at the young Uchiha boy. This was… really unexpected.

"What happened?" Itachi repeated again, this time with an edge to his voice.

Sasuke turned his gaze to his elder brother and sighed heavily.

_Flashback_

"_Sasuke-chan is that you?" a voice shouted from behind Sasuke. The said man turned around to face the man he hated with all of his being. He gave him a venomous glare spitting out, "Get out of my sight before I do something that will make you regret ever calling my name."_

_Tobi laughed and then said, "Tobi, just wants to talk to his nephew, is that bad, cuz Tobi's a good boy!"_

_Getting beyond irate, Sasuke charged forward towards his uncle and aimed a punch right at the masked face at his. But, with unimaginable speed, Tobi extended his arm and caught Sasuke's punch, saying in a low voice that was probably his true voice, "Now, now Sasuke-chan, don't be so rash. That's not how your parents raised you, am I right?"_

_At the mention of his parents, Sasuke lost all control of his emotions, forgetting that he was in a public place with people watching. Sasuke kicked out with his foot, but that was once again stopped by Tobi's other hand. _

"_Tobi just wants Sasuke-chan to answer some questions, can you manage that?" Tobi asked innocently._

_Sasuke bit out, "Let the go so that I can punch that sorry ass face of yours you always hide, you coward."_

_Tobi dragged Sasuke into the nearby alley, ignoring all the worried stares that were tossed their way. He threw his youngest nephew to the ground, putting a foot on his chest to keep him in place._

_Using his darker, and deeper voice, Tobi said, "Now, you will answer questions for me…and in turn I shall give you information on your parents untimely death."_

_Sasuke spat at the man's feet. Did he really think that he wanted to hear whatever his uncle had to say to him? Sasuke, always controlled by revenge and anger, was on the verge of doing something he wasn't sure he would regret or not._

_Tobi tsked, "No spitting on Tobi, okay?"_

_Sasuke just gave him the death glare of a lifetime, if only looks could kill…_

"_Now, tell me exactly what the weaknesses are of the Namikaze's," Tobi said straightforward, getting down to business. _

_Sasuke narrowed his eyes even further, "I may not like those guys, but I'm not going to sell them out to someone like you."_

"_And why not?"_

"_Because," Sasuke smirked, "you want them both right? If I tell you what you want to know then you would get your way…and that is something I will never allow."_

_Tobi started to laugh, "Well I guess if Tobi tells you the truth, then maybe you will tell Tobi what he wants to know."_

_Sasuke, with Tobi's foot still on his chest, grounded out, "What do you mean?"_

_Tobi giggled, "The truth about why we killed our brother and sister in law. Now where should Tobi start…oh! I know! How about Tobi starts with the Sources?"_

_Sasuke was now interested. He wasn't dumb; he knew his parents were killed because of these mysterious Sources. Fighting against his uncle would be futile at the moment, so he sat back and patiently listened, waiting for the golden opportunity._

"_Well, Tobi's not going to tell you what the sources are but your parents were very good friends of the Namikaze's. Because of this my brother, Fugaku, decided that he would help out Minato and Kushina Namikaze by taking the Sources so that they would be out of danger. Once Tobi and Madara got news of this, we couldn't help ourselves from investigating. So we went and trashed your home to find the sources, but they weren't there-"_

"_You two were the ones that ransacked our home all those years ago?" Sasuke growled, a tick mark now forming on his head._

_Tobi waved a hand in front of his face saying, "Who else would? But anyways, after we found out that you didn't have it we decided that we would go after the Namikaze's. But when we killed them and didn't find anything we were very upset, especially Madara…he gets very scary when he's angry. So we thought your parents had it again, but they didn't. So Tobi was all confused and Madara was all like," Tobi puffed out his chest, imitating Madara, " 'It must be those damn Namikaze offspring, let's find them and kill them'. Personally Tobi doesn't like to kill little kids, but like I said before Madara can get very scary and-"_

_At this point Sasuke tuned out, since his uncle was just rambling nonsense about how scary his eldest brother was. Sasuke's head was reeling though at the information he had received. His parents were killed after the Namikaze's were, all because of two Sources that no one had any idea of what they did._

_Seeing how his uncle was distracted by his own ramblings, Sasuke prepared himself and lifted his arms to grab the foot on his chest. Then took hold of Tobi's ankle and sent him flying off of him to the other side of the alleyway._

_Getting up quickly at this chance, Sasuke dashed down the street, running as fast as he could to the Orphanage. _

_End Flashback_

After Sasuke was done telling his story we all looked at him differently. Itachi with something akin to pity in his onyx eyes, Naruto looked upset but he held that determination, and me; I reached a hand out to his shoulder and said, "Are you okay?

Sasuke startled by my touch, whipped his head to me, eyes wide. He studied my face saying, "Fine…you don't look so great either," he then turned to Itachi, "what happened to you guys?"

Itachi sighed, "We went to the beach upon request of Kisame and Sakura, but Sakura was attacked by a man. He disappeared in a red flash though; the others are still trying to find him I figure."

My hand still on Sasuke's shoulder, and Naruto's arm still around my own shoulder, I whispered softly, "Sorry."

Naruto looked at me with understanding. He knew what I was feeling. This was all our fault after all. From what I could tell, Itachi and Sasuke hadn't had any contact from their uncles ever since their parents were murdered. But now that we come along, everything just seemed to be going haywire.

"What are you apologizing for, that's what I'm supposed to do," Sasuke mumbled.

"Teme, both of us know that it is our fault that all of this happened…Nagato should've just left us where he found us," Naruto said grimly.

"Don't say such things," Itachi put in harshly.

At his tone, the three of us turned his way as he continued, "You two may not see it, but we do not care if we are in danger. You are a part of our family, and we protect our family with our very lives, do not ever doubt yourselves."

My eyes widened at his words, he sounded angry but also tired at the same time. I never seen him like this, it was strange. Everything was just strange today.

I was about to speak up but the door slamming stopped me. The four of us heard multiple footsteps coming our way, and in the living room came an irate Hidan and Deidara, a tired looking Sasori, and a gloomy Kisame.

They four of them looked our way and Kisame was the one to speak up first, "Sakura, you doing okay?"

I nodded, "Yes, I'm fine, did you guys find anything?"

At this Hidan fumed, "Who the hell just bursts away in a fucking red flash? Is that even possible, cuz we look everywhere and couldn't find a single damn trace of the bastard."

"Yeah," Deidara said, "we looked all over town and couldn't find a damn thing, un!"

Sasori sighed, "Will you two knock it off, I rather not lose my already very thin patience."

Naruto then clenched his fist growling, "Damn it…we just can't be sitting ducks waiting for them to attack us again."

We need to do something.

I stood up and left the black blanket on the couch, and crossed my arms looking into everyone's eyes, and they ended at Itachi's ebony orbs. They burned in to my own emerald ones.

"I agree with Naruto-kun, but I also don't think we should go and charge into the Uchiha Corporation Headquarters. Sorry but it's way too brash and direct, we have to be smart about it," I said strongly, "We have to sort out everything we know for sure first."

"Like how my uncles are behind the murders of both of our parents, and that they are after your necklaces, which they call the Sources," Sasuke said, folding his hands in front of him.

"And they are willing to kill us to get them," Naruto added.

"But _why_ do they want them?" Sasori said from his corner in the living room.

I sighed running a hand through my hair, thinking back on anything and everything that my parents told Naruto and me when we were younger. There had to be something that hinted what the sources were, they wouldn't just leave us in the dark if they knew what kind of danger all of us were in. They loved us too much to act so careless.

I looked at Naruto and, I guess seeing him look so much like my father triggered the memory.

_Flashback_

"_Daddy why do always tell us that story? Don't you have an imagination?" I pouted, my short pink hair falling onto my face._

"_Yeah!" Naruto protested, "you tell the same story too mom," he shouted pointing at my mother, "why is it always about Izanagi and Izanami?"_

_Our parents looked at us with glittering eyes, my father's smile was small and kind, but my mother had her 100-watt smile on. My dad picked me up and put me on his lap, and my mother did the same with Naruto._

"_Well it's because they are a part of us," Kushina said to her children._

"_That's right," Minato said putting a hand on my head and then Naruto's._

_At both of our questioning gazes Naruto asked, "What's that supposed to mean? Are they like a, what's it called…ancestors to us or something like that."_

"_No, they're Gods so they can't be related to us baka," I said giving him the 'duh' look._

_He glared at me and said, "Oh really then what do you think it means Sakura-chan?"_

_At this I pouted and crossed my arms, "How am I supposed to know…"_

_Kushina and Minato both laughed at our antics, and then Minato said softly, "What we mean is that they gave those objects to humans to protect us, and those objects are still here, helping human kind."_

"_And there is still a family out there that holds the objects," Kushina said, giving us a knowing look._

"_Who still has them?" Naruto asked excitedly._

_Minato and Kushina both looked at each other, staring at the other's eyes. The nodded at the same time and my father said, "You will know once you are older."_

_End Flashback_

But that time never came because of their untimely demise. I always, to this very day, wanted to know what they had to say about Izanagi and Izanami. And now hearing it from Konan in history, and all of these memories popping up, it had to mean something.

Putting a finger on my chin and thought out loud, "There has to be some kind of connection, there just has to be…"

Everyone now had their eyes on me, but I didn't take notice, I was too lost in my thoughts to even see their stares pointed my way. Every time Naruto and I asked for a bedtime story it was always about Izanagi and Izanami, be it about them giving the humans the godly object, or some of their adventures together, the stories were always about them.

I grabbed onto my emerald gem, thinking that there had to some connection to what Madara wanted and Izanagi and Izanami. Grasping the necklace tighter I thought as hard as I could and came up with something ridiculous, impossible, and idiotic.

What if the two objects given to the humans were the necklaces Naruto and I held around our very necks?

It would make sense in a way since those necklaces were passed down from generation to generation in our family, and when Naruto and I first got them we noticed things that other normal human beings would not. Maybe, just maybe…

I turned my determined gaze to Naruto ignoring everyone else and asked him, "Remember the stories mom and dad would tell us about Izanagi and Izanami?"

Naruto turned his thoughtful gaze to me and said, "Yeah, they would always tell it to us…why?"

I smirked, "Because there is a reason Madara wants these necklaces, and mom and dad told us that someday they would tell us who had the objects Izanagi and Izanami gave to the humans."

"They were killed before they had the chance though," Naruto answered heatedly, "Are you trying to say that these necklaces belonged to…"

"Izanagi and Izanami."

**~Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto only the plot of this story.**

**Okay I know that I made Sasuke kind of change gears, but I had to so that the story could progress where I wanted it too! And there was a lot of flashback time, so I am truly sorry if you're a flashback hater…**

**Anyways things are going to pick up from here on out, they aren't done with school yet, so don't think that I've given up Konoha High yet! And Sakura finally figured it out! Sorry for the cliffy, but if you read my other story you must know how much I love them :)**

**Thank you to all that reviewed and subscribed! I would love to see some more of your lovely reviews once more!**

**P.S. Sorry I haven't been able to update much, varsity tennis and school is a drag (words of Shikamaru) but tennis season is almost over so no need to worry! Thanks again! (I love exclamation points)**


	15. Dots Connected

_**Akatsuki Orphanage **_

The looks of everyone's faces ranged from downright confused to flustered. Probably because we said that a myth was probably true.

"That story is a myth," Sasuke answered, hands still crossed in front of him.

"But it makes sense," Naruto went on, "Our parents treasured these necklaces, and that was the only story they ever told us about…what if we are the descendants of the originals who had the objects before us?"

Naruto looked at me with hopeful eyes, "It would make sense right Sakura-chan?"

I nodded, "Yes, I mean we know that the supernatural is very possible and w-"

"How do we know that again?" Deidara questioned, his face still confused as to what was going on.

"The man who attacked me went away in a red flash, and you guys found no trace of him," I said thoughtfully, "and there is the fact that Naruto-kun and I heal remarkably fast, and we know how others feel, like empathy."

"And that only happens when the necklaces are on," Naruto continued.

Thinking back to my history lesson I mumbled, "Maybe Konan might know something about this…"

"Why would she know anything?" Kisame asked.

I ran a hand through my hair saying, "I started to think about Izanami and Izanagi again after Konan gave us a lesson in history class about them handing down objects to two humans to protect themselves. Maybe she has more information like who the objects were given to."

"This is a very absurd idea," Sasori sighed, "but I believe that anything is possible with evidence, so we need to find some."

"This is a fucking nut house!" Hidan yelled.

From that point there was fighting between all of the boys, with the exception of Itachi who hadn't said a word since I mentioned Izanami and Izanagi. I looked to where Itachi was still sitting and found his head down, and his eyes closed, his ebony locks falling over his shoulder. He looked like he was remembering something, I only wished that he would talk and tell me if he thought my idea was crazy or not.

So while everyone else was fighting I walked over to him slowly and put a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Itachi…what do you think?"

He jolted out of his reverie at my touch, and his eyes locked with my own. We were like that for what seemed like hours but was probably only a couple of seconds, then he spoke smoothly, "I believe that it is a very real possibility, we will have to discuss it with the others."

At Itachi's words the fighting stopped, and they all turned to where I was with Itachi.

"You actually believe that these damn objects exist?" Hidan asked.

Itachi pierced him with his gaze as he said, "I normally wouldn't believe in this unless there was proof, as Sasori said, but there is some," he paused and then went on, "Sasuke do you remember what Madara was obsessed with?"

Sasuke turned to his brother and smirked, "Yeah, he loved to read about the gods…_especially_ Izanami and Izanagi."

Itachi nodded, "Correct. Our uncle Madara always had this unhealthy fascination with Izanami and Izanagi. He would always tell me that when the demons once came again to rid this world of its impurity we would be safe because he would have the Sources. These Sources must be those necklaces, and they also have the high possibility of being the objects Izanami and Izanagi gave to the humans as a last front for humanity."

Kisame gave a toothy grin and said, "Well as ridiculous as it sounds, I like the idea of having all powerful objects to help us. I'm going to call Nagato and ask when they will be back."

With that Kisame left the room, I turned to Naruto and said, "I have had enough action today, so I'm going to rest for a while, get me when Nagato and the others are back."

Naruto grinned, "Go to sleep Sakura-chan."

I nodded and then without another word I went up to my room and crashed on my bed.

_**Konoha Park**_

Jiraiya sat down on a bench next to his longtime friend Tsunade. The two of them had been through a lot together, from getting drunk and betting away almost _all_ of his life savings to supporting each other through the death of a loved one. When Tsunade lost her brother and the love of her life, Dan, she was depressed for over 5 years, and to this day she still thought about them. When Jiraiya's surrogate children, Kushina and Minato, were killed, he went away for a year and half to look for Naruto and Sakura, and grieved for the death of Minato and Kushina, refusing to believe that Naruto and Sakura were dead.

Jiraiya looked at Tsunade and smiled. She was looking at the children in front of them playing. And to think that they were the two who started the Orphanage together, because they both knew what it felt like to be alone. The kids they found were raised as their own, and they probably would never be able to part with them even though they were _technically_ in an Orphanage.

Eh, no one would adopt those kids as long as Jiraiya refused to give them up.

"Oi, Tsunade, what do you think the kids are up to?" Jiraiya asked out of curiosity.

She turned to him and smirked, "Probably up to no good."

Jiraiya put his hands behind his head and said, "Yeah, Naruto still the trouble maker, and Sakura a trouble magnet."

Tsunade's eyes glinted as she said, "I still can't believe that you were appointed a godfather, a pervert like you."

"Eh! I take offense to that!" Jiraiya exclaimed, "And Kushina and Minato were practically my kids, of course I'm Naruto and Sakura's godfather."

She snickered, "Well it's good to know that you weren't doing anything stupid when you went away all those times. And to think Nagato was the one that found them."

"Heh, that kid is one of the best I know; of course he would bring my godchildren to me."

"I'm proud of you."

Jiraiya turned to his best friend, wondering why she would just all of a sudden say that.

She then elaborated more saying, "You've grown a lot, and made every child in the Orphanage have a place to call home and a family. And don't even say that I had a part in it since it was your idea from the beginning."

Jiraiya shook his head, "Who would a thought that you'd be the sentimental one."

"No I'm serious, I'm proud of you. Everything you've done for these kids…it's nothing short of amazing."

Jiraiya gave a small smile and put a hand on Tsunade's shoulder, "What brought this on?"

Tsunade sighed and leaned her head back to look at the sky, "I feel like something's coming, I don't know what, but it's something that we're in no way going to be prepared for. And I have a feeling it has to do with Naruto and Sakura, and I'll be damned if anything happens to those kids, they've already been through so much. Sakura is so much like me and Naruto…well he's just like how my little brother used to be. Those two have a bright future ahead of them and I know you will be with them every step of the way."

She then put her head upright again and said, "You've done so much for each and every one of those kids. They've either had parents toss them aside, or their parents were killed. These kids have shown me that with all the evil and hate in this world, a spark of something good can and will come out of it. Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Itachi, Sasori, and everyone else are proof of that."

Jiraiya took in her words seriously, thinking that everything she said was true. Those kids were amazing, and something was coming to tear them away from him.

That would never happen, not again.

_**Akatsuki Orphanage**_

I awoke to someone pushing softly at my arm, and I opened my eyes groggily to see a blob of yellow; Naruto.

When my eyes cleared up enough to see him I saw him giving me that soft smile as he said, "You look like crap Sakura-chan."

I gave him a playful glare, "What do you expect, I just woke up and almost died today."

Naruto's face then got serious, "Let's not talk about that kay?"

"Yeah, I'll be down in a moment."

He nodded and went outside of my room, shutting the door behind him. I decided to get into something more comfortable, so I threw off what I had on and put on some sweat pants and a black tank. When I looked at myself in the mirror I saw that Naruto was right, I did look like crap. So I brushed my hair and pulled it up, and then splashed some water on my face.

Satisfied I walked out of my room and down the stairs to see Sasori at the bottom waiting for me. I smiled as he turned his brown eyes towards me and said, "Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko came back as soon as we told them what happened at the beach. You look considerably better by the way."

When I reach the bottom step I snickered, "That's because Aniki told me that I looked like crap when he woke me up, so I cleaned up slightly."

Sasori just gave a slow nod, "They're all in the dining room, come along."

I nodded, following the red head down the hall. Halfway there he turned his head around to face me and ask, "Are you alright from today's earlier events?"

I gave him a reassuring smile and said, "I'm as tough as nails Sasori, you don't need to worry about me."

He looked at me for a couple more moments before he nodded to himself and opened the door to the dining room. When I looked into the dining room, the western styled one, Yahiko was sitting at the head of the table, Nagato to his right, and Konan to his left. Beside Nagato sat Itachi, Sasuke, and Kisame. Beside Konan sat Hidan, Deidara, an empty seat (probably Sasori's), and Naruto who was gesturing for me to sit next to him. Sasori took his place in the empty seat between Naruto and Deidara and I took mine next to my elder brother.

Nagato smiled at me and said, "Kisame told us about what happened at the beach, we rushed over here as soon as we could, are you okay?"

I gave a small nod, "Yeah, no need to worry, I'm not dead and I got some rest as well."

Nagato gave me another smile and Yahiko then said, "And apparently you also know about why Madara wants your necklaces?"

My gaze turned to Kisame, and Kisame put his hands up saying quickly, "Hey I wasn't really sure what you were all talking about, so I thought that since you figured it out you should tell them."

I sighed and ran a hand through my tied hair, but Naruto saved me from explaining saying, "We believe that the necklaces are the heavenly objects given to the human race by Izanami and Izanagi, and Madara wants them cuz he's obsessed with them or something like that."

At Nagato, Konan's, and Yahiko's blank faces, I could plainly see that Naruto did not save me from explaining.

So I sighed, "Our parents always used to tell us one story; the story of how Izanami and Izanagi saved the human race from the demons from Yomi by giving two humans objects that they created with their abilities. We think, since according to Sasuke and Itachi, that because Madara has an unhealthy obsession with Izanami and Izanagi he would want those objects or Sources."

"Didn't I give a lesson on that earlier this week?" Konan asked, her gold eyes gazing at me.

"Yeah," I answered, "that's what triggered the memory of my parents always telling me the stories about them, and they hinted that they knew something more about the objects handed down, which I am almost a hundred percent sure that they are the necklaces," I grasped my necklace.

"What makes you so sure?" Yahiko asked out of pure curiosity.

"Because whenever we have these things on," Naruto said, "We heal abnormally fast and we are able to know what others are feeling. Like when Sakura-chan and I first came here she was grazed by a bullet, and that normally takes a couple days to close up, but the graze was sealed by the next day. And then there's the case of this guy with the red crystal that went after Sakura-chan."

"Kisame told me about how he disappeared in a red flash," Yahiko mused.

"Yes, he did, but he also had a small red jewel hanging from his neck, it was similar to our own crystals," I also added.

"This is fascinating," Konan beamed.

"What the hell is so damn fascinating about Sakura almost getting killed?" Hidan questioned angrily.

Konan sighed at his stupidity, "I teach Mythology, remember? I didn't tell the entire story about Izanami and Izanagi that day. There were red crystals given to the corrupted humans by the creatures from Yomi. This all sounds like it's from the ancient texts, so of course I find this highly interesting."

"Crazy bitch," Hidan mumbled under his breath.

Konan proceeded to slap him in the back of the head, "I heard that dimwit," she then continued, "And then it was said the Uzumaki family was the ones that were given the necklaces."

"That's our mother's maiden name," I said happily.

Now I was definitely sure that the necklaces were the heavenly objects.

While Hidan rubbed his head Yahiko said, "Even if this sounds kinda crazy...eh what the heck it is _crazy_, but I think that it could be true."

Nagato turned to him and said, "Sakura does heal faster than the average person, I remember Tsunade telling me how amazed she was by it. And there's also the fact about her mother's last name being Uzumaki."

"If we base this theory as to why Madara is after them," Itachi said from his seat, "then we have to delve into it more before they decide to try another move."

"My brother's right," Sasuke added, "If they are at the point where they are prepared to kill them, we all know he won't hesitate. Plus, he also has these men who can disappear at will with a little red stone, making him more dangerous."

"Well we can rule out the school," Deidara said heatedly, "It's a public place, and Nagato, Yahiko, Konan, and myself are with them almost the whole day already."

"That doesn't mean Madara and his men still won't try to go after them there twit," Sasori countered lazily.

"What was that? You-"

Deidara was cut off by Yahiko saying, "We need to stop fighting alright? Fighting will do us no good."

"Then what will?" Hidan asked, still rubbing his head.

"Nothing," I said evenly.

All eyes turned to me asking me to explain including Naruto's. I gave out a huff and said, "Naruto-kun and I are done running, we have doing for the past eight years. If we go out and directly confront Madara he could have us arrested because he has plenty of power running the Uchiha Corporation. We would be playing right into his hands. So the only thing we can do is nothing, just keep on living our lives and waiting for him to strike. But this time, we will be prepared, since we will have to be cautious with everything we do."

There was a pause as everyone took in my words, then Deidara asked, "Why should we lie around like sitting ducks?"

"I get what you're saying Sakura-chan," Naruto said, then turned to Deidara, "And we won't be sitting ducks. Sakura-chan and I know how Madara works when he's trying to kill us, there's a pattern. Normally when we would run we would stay in a city for a month or two before Madara's men would come and chase us out. But he waited four months this time, meaning we are getting harder to find, or he's just lazy."

"He could be very lazy at times," Sasuke smirked.

"Okay, so he could've been lazy or whatever but-"

"What's the point you're getting at kid?" Kisame asked in exasperation.

Naruto grinned, "He has a weak spot."

"And that would be," Yahiko edged on.

"He makes other people do things for him; he never once came against us face to face. We know we can take on his men, so his weakness is him being too scared to face two teenagers."

"And how do we use this against him dobe?" Sasuke asked.

"We lure him out by irritating him long enough by none of his men being able to catching us teme."

"That's a stupid idea," Deidara grumbled.

"Actually no it isn't," Itachi said slowly, "My uncle killed my parents because he _knew_ that he was able to. He does things when he knows for _sure_ that he can do them. He doesn't feel confident enough to come after Naruto and Sakura alone, which shows that he is afraid of the power those two have. And my uncle can get quiet irritated when he doesn't get what he wants, and since he has been after these Sources for over eight years, he will reach a breaking point soon where he will have to crawl out of his hole and come out to get them for himself."

"And all of us can take down one guy right?" Naruto said confidently.

**~Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto just this story.**

**What do ya think? I know this was a lot of thinking and planning going on, that's why I put a little foreshadowing with Jiraiya and Tsunade, to put another POV in there.**

**Thank you to all that reviewed and subscribed! Please review again to make me very oh so very happy:) **


	16. Mismatched Eyes

_**Konoha High**_

"Hello Sakura, are you in there?"

I blinked at the man waving a hand in front of my face. I must've spaced out.

I smiled at Shikamaru and said, "Yeah I am."

He gave me a look. "Then why are you spacing out."

I huffed. "Just thinking is all."

Yeah, thinking was an understatement. It was first hour with Nagato in LA, and I was barely paying attention to our project. How could anyone, when you knew someone was out there trying everything in their power to kill you and your only family left. Even with our new strategy, it was a long shot that it would even work.

"We still need to decide on that book," Gaara said, running a hand through his red hair.

Shikamaru laid back in his chair, closing his eyes in thought. He then smirked and said, "What about a myth of some sort, those are always interesting."

Gaara grunted in agreement.

I smirked, "Which one did you have in mind?"

"The Tales of Izanami and Izanagi."

As soon as those words were spoken I paled slightly. Those two gods seemed to follow me everywhere. Sometimes I wondered if they were trying to tell Naruto and me something, since we were the holders of what they gave to the humans as protection. Maybe, just maybe they-

"Sakura, you okay?" Shikamaru asked, his tone laced with concern.

"Yes, you are looking a little pale," Gaara added.

Pulling myself together I smiled. "Yes I'm fine, and that sounds like a great book."

They both looked me over and then Shikamaru nodded. "Well then it's decided, now-"

He was cut off by the sound of the bell, the ending of first period.

"Remember your assignments class," Nagato reminded everyone as they left.

We all left the class; I gave a wave to Shikamaru and Gaara on my way out.

I then started to walk to Naruto's locker where we decided to meet up for second hour. After going to school at Konoha High for about three weeks now, we knew our way around and little shortcuts that helped out a lot.

I walked up to Naruto's locker, and leaned on the locker next to his, waiting for him to notice that I was there. As he fought with the inside of his locker, trying to get his science book out, I just stared at the passing students who each gave a glance our way.

Tossing my long pink hair to the side, I said, "Hurry up Aniki."

He looked around his locker door at my voice. "You've been here the entire time?"

I smiled. "Yeah, and you're still a loser."

He wrenched his science book out as he glared at me. He was about to retort but a smack on the back of the head stopped him. I looked behind Naruto to see that Sasuke was the one who slapped him.

Things have also been getting better with Sasuke. Sure all three of us fought sometimes, but ever since we found out the entire truth about our families, we have been getting along, and Sasuke was actually making an effort.

"Dobe," Sasuke huffed out.

"Teme," Naruto growled back in return.

I sweat dropped. "Guys we seriously need to get to class. I rather not have Orochimaru-sensei try anything just because we are late."

Naruto shivered as we walked to the science room. "Something is wrong with that guy, no one's tongue should be that long and…flexible."

"Even I agree with that," Sasuke said quietly.

"You agree with what Sasuke-kun?"

We both stilled and paled slightly at the sound of our deranged science teacher.

For Kami's sake, he was right behind us with one hand on Sasuke's shoulder and the other on Naruto's. Thank Kami I was in the middle of the two boys.

"Uh, nothing Orochimaru-sensei," Sasuke said slowly.

"Yeah, uh nothing s-sensei," Naruto said, tugging at the collar on his white shirt.

"Hm, well how about we all get to class?" Orochimaru slithered.

With that, Naruto took hold of my right hand, and Sasuke took hold of my left shoulder, dragging me away from our teacher. I saw that Naruto's face was panicked and Sasuke's face held little emotion, but his eyes were narrowed slightly.

I laughed nervously at them. "Hey I can walk you guys."

At the sound of my voice they let go of me, Naruto giving me a large grin and Sasuke a sour smirk.

"Let's sit down then," Sasuke said, putting his hands in his pockets.

We walked into the classroom and to our seats, where Kabuto was already sitting. He pushed up his glasses as I saw us walk in. "Ah, I was wondering when you three would show up."

Sasuke glared at him as he took his seat next to him. "Can it."

Kabuto smirked. "What Sasuke-kun? You like them now and not me?"

Sasuke just stared unemotionally ahead. "I never like you."

Kabuto smirked. "Of course you never have Sasuke-kun."

Orochimaru then walked in and shut the door behind him slowly. He grinned at us and said, "We have someone new joining our class today, introduce yourself."

That's when I noticed the man behind him and saw the boy I did on my first day. The one with the mismatched eyes.

"Hello, my name is Obito Ahihcu," the man said in a slightly high tone.

I gave him a weird look, still feeling as if I knew him. The red eye was what seemed very familiar, a little too familiar.

I nudged Naruto's arm as Obito sat down and whispered, "Naruto-kun, does that guy look familiar?"

Naruto scrutinized the boy. "Hm, a little, why do you ask?"

"I just-"

"Is that talking I hear back there?" Orochimaru interrupted.

We didn't say anything, just shut up.

"Now that's taken care of today we will be learning about…" I tuned out as soon as he started speaking about the lesson. Instead, I stared at Obito Ahihcu. I don't know why, but he made me feel unsafe, just plain danger seemed to emit around him. I must've been a freak since the girls at his table were fawning over the guy. Something just didn't sit well in my stomach with him.

I grasped my necklace for comfort, and that's when I saw the boy's head turn to look straight at me, rather it felt as if he was looking _through_ me. His red eye carried a familiar glint to it he just-

"Sakura-chan, hello we need to get going," Naruto said, shaking my shoulder.

I shook my head and asked, "Class is already over?"

"Yes, man are you alright, do you need to see Tsunade or do you-"

I cut him off. "No, Naruto-kun it's fine."

"But-"

Smack.

"She said she was fine dobe now shut it," Sasuke said after he smacked Naruto in the head again.

I smirked his way and said, "Uh, thanks Sasuke, Naruto and I have to go to math see you in gym." I then took Naruto's hand and walked away to Yahiko's class. That math class passed by fast, I didn't really pay attention to Yahiko as I thought about the Obito guy.

Before I knew it, it was time to go to gym.

I was changing in the locker room now. I pulled my white shirt over my head and tucked my crystal beneath it, to keep it safe. I then swiftly tugged on my green cotton shorts. I then walked out of the changing room, and looked around the gym for Deidara, Naruto, or Sasuke.

Then someone slammed right into me. Hard.

"Oh _so_ sorry about that," said the girl that bumped into me.

I turned around to see Karin tossing her red hair over her shoulders, looking smug as ever.

I sighed, not really having the energy to deal with her. "Someone's a little immature."

She glared at me. "Oh really, I'm not the one with bubble gum all in my hair and the most idiotic brother."

Okay, she could insult my hair, no big deal (well half the time no big deal), but she, or anyone for that matter, was allowed to insult my older brother. No one.

"First of all its natural, unlike your horribly dyed hair, and second," my emerald eyes turned stormy as I glared at her, "No one, and I mean no one, is allowed to insult my Aniki. He is the best older brother anyone could have, and you're just jealous that you don't have anyone there for you like him."

She inched away from me, seeing my angry gaze. I then huffed and turned around to see Naruto and Deidara behind me. I then was engulfed in a bone crushing hug from Naruto as he said with large teary eyes, "I love you _so_ much Sakura-chan!"

"Remind me to never insult you Naruto," Deidara said to himself and to Naruto.

I got out of Naruto's hug and said, "Eh, she was being rude, so I had to put her in her place."

"I still love you," Naruto grinned, "I love even more than my ramen."

"That is impossible to believe," Sasuke said as he approached us.

"Yeah, you eat ramen as if you were a vacuum or something, un," Deidara added.

Naruto then turned on them, and started to argue, and they yelled at him too. I sighed, annoyed that they just had this urge to rip each other's throats out all the time. I saw Shikamaru and Neji walk over to where I was, Neji with his hands at his sides and Shikamaru in a lazy stance.

"Looks like they're at it again, troublesome," Shikamaru said, picking at his ear.

"Do they ever stop?" Neji asked in a clipped tone.

I smirked. "This could go on for hours, just watch."

While Deidara, Naruto, and Sasuke fought about who knows what, Neji, Shika, and I talked about the day and how things were going. We were all interrupted when the teacher came in, but it wasn't Gai. It was a man with shaggy brown hair, bandages going down half of his face, an x scar on his chin, and he walked with a cane. This guy didn't look like he should be anywhere near a gym in his condition.

"Class, I was supposed to be your substitute teacher, but school has been canceled for the duration of the rest of the day. Class dismissed."

Most kids rushed into the locker rooms to change and get the heck out of there, happy that we were being let out early. I walked up to Sasuke and asked, "Do you know who that guy is?"

Sasuke nodded, "Yeah, his name is Danzo, I remember him doing work with the Uchiha Corporation when my parents were still alive."

"Why are we getting out early, un? Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko didn't say anything about it," Deidara mused, rubbing the top of his head.

"Eh, who cares, now I can sleep," Shikamaru said as he walked off to the boys locker room.

I shrugged and went back into the locker to change. Tossing off my gym clothes and putting on my jean shorts, long-sleeved red top, and my sneakers, I walked out of the locker room quickly. As I waited for the boys to get out I started to braid my long pink hair and closed my eyes.

I opened my eyes when I felt Naruto come out of the locker room. We had always been able to feel each other's presence, and now I guess that was because of the necklaces.

Naruto, Deidara, and I waved off at Sasuke as he took a different hallway to ride his motorcycle back home. As we walked through the hallways I felt something very strange, something was off.

"Why aren't there any other kids going out?"

Deidara looked around and said, "Huh, you right, un. There aren't any kids….maybe the gym kids were let out a little later cuz we had that sub."

"Who cares, let's go find Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan. They're our ride home," Naruto said quickly.

We nodded and went out into the parking lot, where there were still many cars. Okay something was up.

"Guys, isn't it a little strange that there are still a lot of cars here?" I questioned, the wind tossing my long pink hair back.

"Yeah…I don't like it," Naruto said, his eyes hardening instantly as he scanned the area.

"I suggest we get going, it looks like the others aren't coming out, un," Deidara said, getting off of Nagato's car.

Naruto grabbed my shoulder. "We'll just walk home; it's not that far right Deidara?"

Deidara scratched at his head, "Eh, it's a little far from the Orphanage, but the college where the others are, is closer. We should go there, un."

"Let's get going then," Naruto ushered on, hand still on my shoulder. He then leaned down in my ear to whisper, "I have a bad feeling about this, keep your eyes peeled."

I gave a small nod. "I will."

He then let go of my shoulder as Deidara walked at my other side. We walked in silence, Deidara getting the idea that Naruto and I didn't want to talk. As we walked I felt eyes burning a hole in the back of my head, so I turned around to see someone I really didn't want to.

The boy with mismatched eyes, Obito Ahihcu.

I quickened my pace, and Deidara asked, "Why are you going so fast Sakura-chan?"

"Uh, I just want to see the others," I said hurriedly, but with my eyes I gave Naruto a look and motioned behind me with a small movement of my head.

He turned his head so very slightly, barely looking over his shoulder. His body tensed up as he saw who was behind us. So he did get a bad vibe from him earlier.

As I listened to the man's footsteps, I heard the steadily get faster and heavier. I turned around, my hair swishing at the action, and saw Obito running at us, fast.

"Get going now!" I shouted.

Naruto ran ahead of me and Deidara ran behind me, while looking back to see what we were running from. I didn't know why this was happening but all I knew was that I had to run, and fast because this in one fast guy.

"What the hell is going on, un? That little bastard runs fast," Deidara shouted, voicing my own thoughts.

"Where do I turn to get to the University?" Naruto shouted at Deidara.

"Uh you take a right and-Shit!"

Gunfire. I guess this Obito guy wasn't kidding around.

We ran across the pavement, our footfalls heavy. Naruto and I were doing okay running this fast because we have done it before, but Deidara on the other hand…

"Damn it!" I heard a shout from behind.

Still running, I whirled my head around to see that Deidara was now on the ground, withering in pain from a bullet to his right shoulder and left leg. I stopped and ran towards him as fast as I could, seeing that Obito was gaining on us. I slung Deidara's arm around my shoulder, while putting my arm around him. He wasn't that heavy, but I didn't think we could go that fast with Deidara's leg the way it was.

"Naruto, call someone quick!" I shouted. Naruto looked behind him to see us, and his eyes widened in panic.

"Sakura! Watch out!"

I turned around, still holding onto the blond artist, and felt the gun being pointed at my head. Obito stood in behind us, now with a gun at my head.

"Come with Tobi, please," the mismatched eyed man said.

My eyes widened. "Tobi?"

"Yes Tobi is Tobi. Now come with Tobi and Tobi won't shoot your friend," he said in his high pitch voice.

"Sakura don't-"Deidara tried to say.

I cut him off. "Shut up, you're bleeding out and you can't stand another bullet wound, run to Naruto as fast as you can and ignore the pain, I've got this."

Deidara tried to protest, but I pushed him forward with as much strength as I could. When he was far enough I turned around slowly to face Tobi, still hearing the shouts of my brother and Deidara.

"Huh, Ahihcu, I get it now. It's Uchiha backwards right? Knew there was something wrong with the name. And Obito has all the same letters as your name Tobi…couldn't think of a better alias could you?" I stalled.

"Still fooled you," Tobi said sweetly.

I smirked. "No you didn't." Stalling this guy wasn't too hard; maybe Naruto was already calling someone.

"Huh?"

Still smirking I prepared myself. "You're eyes gave you away. The eyes of a demon."

I then quickly sent a kick towards his gun, he pulled back just in time though. Taking advantage of his momentary lapse, I surged forwards and tackled him down to the ground. I dug my sharp nails into his hand, and his hand let go of the gun on reflex.

"Now it's fair," I huffed out.

"Wrong."

As I look back on this, I should've guessed that he had something up his sleeve like this. I was stupid and careless, and it almost ended me.

A sharp, small silver knife dug into my stomach, just barely missing my lungs. I sucked in a breath, surprised at the sudden action.

I stumbled backwards, barely hearing the sound of my brother's shouts. Putting a shaky hand to my stomach, I felt the warm liquid running down my hand. It was nauseating. And it hurt like hell on ice.

"Tobi's not supposed to kill you yet but-"Tobi was stopped by the sound of cars, but I barely registered them. Three cars with Itachi, Sasori, Kisame, and Hidan pulled up behind us. Seeing this Tobi ran away.

I didn't even pay attention to any of that. All I knew was the knife in my stomach. I faintly heard footsteps sprinting towards me.

As I fell to the ground in pain, adrenaline gone, I felt strong arms catch me instead of the cold pavement. Expecting a mound of spiky blond hair, I looked up to see sleek ebony locks.

"Sakura, stay with me, you understand me?" Itachi said, voice strained.

I nodded, but barely. As he picked me up I heard other voice around me, but I couldn't match them to who was saying what.

"Damn it! Why didn't I reach her in time? This is all my fault."

"If I hadn't got shot this wouldn't be happening, un."

"She's going to be alright, right Itachi?"

"That little mother fucker is in for it! I'm going to rip him limb from limb, burn his insides…"

"Her wounds are bleeding too much, someone give me something to stop the bleeding. Keep her awake Itachi, Naruto."

Trying to keep my eyes open was hard. And all the talking wasn't helping.

If I could just close them…

**~Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way, just the plot of this story.**

**Hey guys…I'm not dead! It probably feels like it cuz I haven't updated in who knows how long…so I thought that this suspenseful chapter would make up for it. Please don't hunt me down I try my best! (Plus being a lazy ass like Shikamaru doesn't help much)**

**So tell me what you thought and thank you to all my faithful readers!:) **


	17. World of Nothing

I was floating in a world of nothingness. Well not exactly nothingness, it was all just white, with a large pool of water beneath me that stretched out for what seemed like forever.

Picking myself up from the water, surprised that I was still dry, I looked at my surroundings. Nothing, just whiteness.

I pushed my long pink hair out of my face, seeing that it was slightly damp. My clothes were the same as what I worse earlier, jeans and a tee-shirt, except for the fact that my stomach was red. It was if a flower of blood bloomed on it.

But I didn't feel the wound, I felt very little.

I sat there for a while, thinking that I heard the voices of my brother and friends. I could of just imagined it all, but then I again maybe I really heard them.

As I was about to get up I all of sudden felt a very warm presence encompass me. Something familiar and welcoming, a feeling that I haven't had since my parents died. Looking up I saw bright gold light coming towards me, and that light started to take shape into people I thought I would never see again.

My mother and father were walking towards me. Kushina and Minato still looked the same from right before they died. My father was walking with my mother's hand in his.

When they approached me I stood up quickly and all I could say was, "Mom, Dad?"

My father smiled and hugged me close. "Your mother and I have missed you and your brother so much."

I wrapped my arms around him, remembering how it used to feel to hug my father. He clung to me tightly before he let go, and I was caught within another hug.

"Sakura-chan, why did you do something so stupid? You could die, and you know your mother won't let you die. I missed you so much," Kushina said, her tears spilling onto Sakura.

I hugged my mom back tightly. "Sorry." I started to cry on her shoulder.

After a while, she let go of me and my father put his arm around her, both smiling wide at me. I smiled through the tears that slowly fell out of my eyes.

"…Am I dead?"

It had been on my mind as soon as I woke up here. If I was seeing my _dead_ parents, then didn't that mean I was dead too?

My father shook his head, his golden spikes following the motion. "No, not yet, and that's why we're here, to help you get back to your brother."

I smiled sadly. "He must be so mad at me right now…"

My mom shook her head. "He's more worried than mad. He just wants his sister back."

"Will I even be able to go back?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yes," my father nodded. "But we want to tell you something first that we weren't able to tell you and Naruto when you were children."

At this I put my head down, my long pink hair covering my eyes from my parents. I then shouted, "Why?! Why did you leave all of this craziness for me and Naruto?! We were just kids, and you never told us anything, and…do you know what we have been through since you died!" The happiness of seeing them was now gone, replaced with anger. They left Naruto and I with such a large task that they didn't even tell us about.

I started to cry angry tears, tears of confusion and hurt as I slumped my figure while standing. It wasn't until I felt warm strong arms embrace me, that I lifted my head up. My father was hugging me close, sadness ebbing from his eyes. I just stood there, still confused with my feelings, wanting to punch and hug him at the same time.

"Your mother and I are _so_ sorry this had to happen. We never wanted you children involved…but it seems there was nothing we could do to stop our death no matter how hard we tried. The last thing on our minds as we died was what was going to happen to our children. We only hoped that Jiraiya found you before anyone else." He then sighed. "You left before he got the chance to go to and explain what little he knew about the situation."

My hands clenched his shirt. "Exactly what is the situation?"

"It's difficult to explain," my mother spoke up, standing beside my father. "What I was told by my mother and father was to give the necklace to my other half, you father. They told me we were descendents of the ones who were originally given the necklaces by Izanami and Izanagi. From what I figured out through the history of my family, we were given the task to protect this world."

Still in my father's arms, I asked, "So are you trying to say that Naruto and I are supposed to protect the world?"

My mother nodded. "Yes, from those descended from the Yomi, the Uchihas. As you know Minato and I were good friends with Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha, so not all Uchiha's are bad people. Madara and his brother Tobi seem to be directly related to the Yomi more so than any other Uchiha in the past."

I sighed, and pushed myself out of my father's arms. My green eyes shone with determination. "What am I meant to do?"

"You and your brother are going to have to defeat Madara, he is too dangerous. He wants the necklaces for complete control," my father said.

I was about to ask him more, until I noticed something, my hands were fading away. Now that I looked, the rest of my body was fading.

"What's going on?"

"You're going back to your brother sweetheart," my mother said with a smile on her face.

I looked back and forth between them, before I ran forward and hugged them both. They immediately encircled me in their arms. Before I faded away completely my father leaned in a whispered in my ear, my eyes widened at his words, and the last thing I saw was my parents smiling at me.

_**Konoha Hospital **_

My eyes slowly fluttered open, only to close at the harsh light that entered them. Opening them slower, my vision became slightly blurry before everything became clear again. I was in a hospital bed, and my brother was sitting in the chair next to my bed, his head resting on the bed as he slept. I looked to the window to see that it was dark outside.

Sitting up slowly, so as not to wake Naruto, I felt my stomach tug. Lifting my hospital gown, I saw my stomach bandaged up tightly, someone dried blood staining it slightly. I thought about what my father said before I left, wondering if I should even try such a risky thing. It was our only shot though…and I trusted him. As I thought about him I clutched the necklace hanging around my neck.

I slowly swung my legs from under the covers and off the bed. Naruto only moved slightly. I stood up shakily, trying to gain my balance. My hair fell around me as I stood up a little straighter and started to walk forward. How long had I been out?

Walking quietly, I reached for the door knob only to have it turn on its own. Backing away from the door quickly I prepared myself for anything, as I have always done. But when the door opened it showed a familiar and welcoming face, actually two.

Jiraiya and Yahiko.

"Sakura!" Yahiko shouted before he trapped me in a large bear hug.

I coughed a bit. "Uh…injured here."

"Oh sorry, you just had me so worried, and actually you had us all worried and-"

"Will shut your mouth for a second kid?" Jiraiya growled. "She probably just woke up, give her a break." He then looked my way, a smile gracing his old face. "Glad to see you up and moving, Deidara and the others explained everything to me and Tsunade. Naruto wouldn't leave your bedside so I couldn't talk to him at all."

I smiled and stretched. "Well I feel much better than before…where are the others?"

"Outside, sleeping," Yahiko quickly answered.

I nodded. "How long was I out?"

"Three days," Jiraiya answered, crossing his arms. He then uncrossed them and put a hand on my shoulder. "You gave us all quiet a scare you know."

I smirked. "Well it wasn't all for nothing, I saw someone while I was out."

At this both Jiraiya and Yahiko perked up. "What do you mean Sakura-chan?" Yahiko asked.

"Okay this may sound strange…but I saw my parents, and they told me some very valuable things and-"

"How about we talk about that later kay? You need you sleep," Jiraiya said calmly.

"You think I'm lying?" I questioned, arms now crossed.

He shook his head. "Are you kidding me? After all the strange stuff the others and I have witnessed it's hard to _not_ believe in these things anymore."

"But-"

"Sakura, seriously get back in the bed," Yahiko piped up, grinning a large grin.

I pouted. "I've been asleep for three days; don't you think that's enough?"

"No," they both answered at the same time.

"Fine…I'll sleep for now," I sighed defeated. I was emotionally drained anyways. From seeing my parents and talking to them right after getting stabbed, I think I deserved a couple hours of rest I guess.

I walked over to the bed, as the both walked over with me. Taking care not to disturb Naruto, I climbed in to the bed slowly, laying my head down on the pillow.

Jiraiya kissed my forehead. "Don't ever scare me like that again kid."

"Yeah I know," I smiled.

"Don't do that to me ever again either! You left me with the idiots, well all the idiots except for Konan," Yahiko added.

I smiled again. "Sorry."

As they left the room, I gave my brother one last look and went to sleep, dreaming of nothingness once more.

_**6 hours later**_

I opened my eyes slower this time, letting my eyes adjust to the lights and sunlight pouring into the room. As I sat up I was attacked by a blond mass, who started to hug me and mumble nonsense into my chest. Naruto.

"Hey, I'm back," I whispered to him.

"…I'm going to kick your ass once you're better for being careless you baka."

I laughed. "Sure, whatever you want Naruto-kun."

"Hey let us see her too, un!"

I looked over Naruto's shoulder to see all the guys, and Konan and Tsunade.

"Out of my way," Tsunade said harshly. "I need to check on her before any of you morons go and open her wound." She tossed Naruto off of me with one hand, and he flew backwards. He groaned in pain as she checked my stomach. "Glad to see you back Sakura," she added.

"Glad to be back."

After she was all done checking me over, she turned to the boys sternly. "Now, I don't want anyone hugging her too hard, or getting her stressed be quiet and considerate Deidara, Kisame, Hidan…and Yahiko," she added as an afterthought.

"Why the hell are you singling us out?!" Hidan yelled.

She hit him upside the head hard. "Baka, because you can't keep your mouth shut, we are in a hospital for Kami's sake."

He rubbed his head grumbling, "Fine, fine have it your way."

That's when I saw Sasori come to my side; a small smirk lit his face. "Glad to see you back in the world of the living."

I smiled, and before I could get anything out Hidan ran to my other side. "Don't ever scare me like that again kid. You scared the shit out of me ya know."

"Sorry," I said meekly, while rubbing the back of my neck.

"You better be."

He then put a hand on my shoulder; his touch was gentle, unlike his personality.

"Saku-chan it's all my fault I'm so sorry!" Deidara wailed as he and Kisame approached.

He hugged me tightly, but not too tight to hurt me. I hugged him back. "It's not your fault okay, don't blame yourself." He didn't say anything.

"You know I had to lug your bleeding body to the hospital, you need to eat more, you're too light," Kisame commented calmly while coming into my line of vision.

"Yeah, yeah, I know fishy," I said nonchalantly. I ran a hand through my long pink locks, still slightly drained. I felt bad for making everyone worry about me, I mean Kisame probably was freaking out, but he's acting like it was nothing for my sake.

I looked around the room again to see a couple missing.

"…Hey where are Konan and Nagato?"

"They went out to get some of your things from the house," Jiraiya said from his corner of the room.

I smiled, satisfied, and I looked at my friends and brother. Everyone here cared for me so much, but there were still two others missing…

"Sakura."

I looked towards the door to see the Uchiha siblings walk in, Itachi looking much more tired than his younger counterpart.

I smiled in their direction. "Hey, I'm up…sorry if I scared you at all."

"Hn, you should be," Sasuke said blandly.

I gave him a blank look. "You're still the same."

He smirked at me. Itachi then walked forward and slowly approached me. As he got closer the others moved out of his way. He stared right into my eyes and then I felt a gentle and cautious hug.

"Please don't do anything that remarkably stupid again."

At his words I laughed. "I'll try my best." But that's when my father's last words came to mind again. I pulled away from Itachi, and looked at everyone seriously.

"Once I'm back home, I need to talk to you all…I found something out."

**~Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto just the plot of this story…so don't steal it!**

…**Hey guys! Yeah you can throw kunai at me later for being on a what, 3 month hiatus…yeah sorry about that but I got this chapter done just for all of my lovely readers!**

**Tell me what you think! And thank you for the constant support!**

**(I know this one was kind of rushed, but I wanted to give you something before things got even better!)**


	18. Back to Normal

_**Akatsuki Orphanage: 4 days later**_

I was finally released from the hospital after 4 days of Tsunade constantly obsessing over my healed wound. My skin had already grown over it, new, tight, and pinky. It still hurt a bit, but it was nothing compared to how much it hurt before.

As I was driven home by Nagato, everyone else was at home; I started to think about my time in the "in between". I still had a haunting feeling from seeing my dead parents, still wondering if it was all just a part of my imagination. But, something, just this deep feeling, kept telling me to believe and listen to what my father said. But if I was wrong it was all just a mirage then I would be dooming the whole world, ultimately meaning that everyone I loved would die or be enslaved.

Damn, why was this so hard?

Nagato must have noticed me spacing out, so he nudged me. "Hey, you okay?"

I looked his way, pushing pink locks out of my face. "Yeah, just tired."

He gave a grunt. "As to be expected of course…you did just almost die."

I was about to speak but he cut me off. "It may not seem like it, but we do care about you and your wellbeing Sakura, as well as Naruto's. We may have all only known you for three months, but that doesn't mean that we can't get close to you two quickly."

I sighed. "Yeah I noticed. I'm glad that you guys care so much…but it will only end up getting you guys too involved and you _will_ end up getting hurt."

Nagato shrugged, his long hair moving at the action. "That's of little concern to us, well at least me."

I smiled as we approached our home. "Thanks for finding us that day Nagato."

"It was my pleasure…I always wanted a little sister anyways."

I laughed as he parked the car. Nagato was truly one of the kindest people I have ever known. He saw two kids and took them off the streets without a second thought as to why they were hurt the way they were, not even thinking about the trouble he would have by bringing us into his home. Naruto and I would forever be grateful to him.

I opened the door with alacrity, happy to be out of the hospital. I was welcomed by a smiling Itachi, his long hair still in a pony tail and clothes still all black. I myself was in plain jeans and a white tee-shirt.

"Welcome home."

I smiled. "Happy to be back."

I felt a hand on my shoulder as Nagato said, "She couldn't get out of that hospital fast enough."

"I understand her feelings," Itachi replied back.

I brushed Nagato's hand off my shoulder and crossed my arms. "Okay I official need real food…so where's Konan?"

Nagato sweat dropped at my sudden statement. Hey what could I say, she made some great food.

"Well let's go to the kitchen, everyone is already there I believe," Itachi said.

I nodded. "So you were just waiting by the door for what, me?"

"Hn."

I twitched with annoyance. What was the deal with 'hn' this and 'hn' that? It was like the Uchiha's had their own language they created only annoy people.

We entered the kitchen where everyone but Hidan was. Looking around I asked, "So what happened to Hidan?"

"He was here a second ago…"

I felt movement behind me then heard "Sneak Attack!" So I lifted my fist to whoever was going to attack me and slammed it right into their face. When I put my hand down I saw that my punch landed perfectly on Hidan's face.

I sighed. "You know it's not a sneak attack if you yell it, right? And didn't anyone ever tell you not to attack an injured person?"

"What the hell man?!" I heard Naruto yell as he came up by my side. "You're worse at sneak attacks than I am."

"That's what you're worried about Naruto?" I questioned.

He shrugged. "You're healed so no worries right?"

I shook my head at his optimistic outlook. Taking a peak at Hidan again, I saw him twitching on the floor and his normally slick back hair was messed up. Everyone was either shaking their heads or snickering at Hidan's idiocy.

"I told him that wouldn't work," Kisame laminated. "Idiot."

"Why would he even do that? I do not understand," Nagato asked.

"He wanted to prove that he was superior to Sakura in terms of fighting skills. He thought he had the upper hand on her being hurt, we told him not to do it," Sasori sighed out of irritation.

I shook my own head, happy to see that nothing changed while I was out of commission. It was nice to see bickering again as weird as it sounded.

"Damn, how the fuck can you punch that hard?" A morose Hidan said while struggling to get up.

"It's natural gift," I said while cracking my knuckles.

"I bet it's from that damn necklace you have."

I shrugged. "Maybe, it's why I heal so fast…but running away from a mad man for years kinda builds up some strength dummy."

He walked over to me and placed a hand on top of my head. "Too fucking strong for your own good kid."

I grumbled, smacking his hand away from my head. I always hated it when people would touch my head like that; it made me feel small and childlike.

"Anyways, Konan can I have some food?"

She nodded, smiling. "I have already prepared lunch for everyone, how about you take a seat, Tsunade and Jiraiya will be coming along soon."

Naruto dragged me to sit next to him with Sasuke on my other side. I sat down in between them and pushed my hair behind my ears. I looked towards Sasuke saying, "You and Naruto-kun getting along better at all?"

"No," they both answered simultaneously.

I laughed. "I'm glad I came back to you guys, or else I wouldn't be able to witness your idiocy."

Sasuke snorted. "Our idiocy? How about your own?"

I gave him a questioning look, so he continued. "You took a bullet for _Deidara_ of all people."

"Hey, un! She was trying to protect me it's my fault anyways chicken ass boy!" Deidara shouted at Sasuke from across the table.

"Will you two please kindly shut the fuck up! Your giving me a headache bastards," Hidan yelled.

"It's Uchiha's fault not mine un!" Deidara shouted back.

Hidan slammed his hand on the table and yelled. "Don't you know the meaning of 'kindly shut the fuck up'?! Idiot!"

"What was that un?"

"I said you're a fucking idiot, or do I have to spell it out for ya?"

"Why you-"

Wham!

They were both now withering in pain, clutching their heads from the punch I delievered to both of their heads. I was having enough of their fighting, so reached over and gave them both a good punch.

"Remind me never to get you pissed Pinky," Kisame snickered.

Deidara started to whimper. "Sakura-chan you're so scary, un."

I gave him menacing look. "Let's just say I'm having a bad week, and if you don't be quiet I'll kick your ass."

"What the hell?! You're gunna give me brain damage hitting me twice like that," Hidan shouted.

I gave him a steely look. "So?"

"It's not like you don't already have brain damage, so why should it matter to you?" Sasori questioned with a smirk.

"Now I'm gunna kick your ass you little-"Hidan was cut off by another punch, but not from me.

Tsunade was now standing over him, fist up and glaring at him. "I'm gone for a couple minutes and you're already causing trouble brat?"

"What is this? Make-Hidan's-head-fucking-hurt-as-much-as-possible day?" Hidan asked unhappily.

"That's what it seems to be," Itachi said calmly from next to Kisame.

"You guys are un-fucking-believable."

I laughed quietly and started to reach for the food Konan had just set on the table. She made some origami, grilled assortment of fish, sushi rolls, and a large pan of white rice. It all looked so delicious.

"Dig in," Konan said politely.

Everyone started to take their food, including Tsunade and Jiraiya who sat down at the heads of the table. The entire table was filled since Deidara, Hidan, Itachi, Kisame, and Nagato sat across from me and Naruto, I, Sasuke, Sasori, Konan, and Yahiko sat in my row at the long table.

I ate my food slowly, savoring its taste unlike my brother who was eating his own food with renewed vigor. I sweat dropped and asked, "Naruto-kun, didn't you ever learn manners?"

Naruto stopped in mid-bite to answer. "What do you mean Sakura-chan?"

"She means you eat like an uncivil barbarian dobe," Sasuke answered for me.

Naruto glared at him. "No one asked you teme."

"Hn."

"What's up with you and that word?!"

I sighed. "Anki just eat you r food and fight later unless you want me to punch your face in…"

He shivered at my threat. "O-okay Saukra-chan."

I grinned to myself, once again happy to see that my little accident didn't change anyone. Thinking about it led to me thinking about what my parents said and Madara. Madara was a menace, no doubt about it. But he was a wealthy business man who probably had his own security unit, which would make getting at him difficult. Plus, he always made everyone, including his brother, do his dirty work. He never wanted to get to actually come after us on his own, and I was still trying to figure out why. Itachi and Sasuke didn't have any clue, other than he was a coward, which was a notion easy to believe. There had to be a weakness in his defense. If I learned anything from living on the streets it was that _everyone_ had a weakness, Madara and his gang of idiots was no exception.

And then mom and dad, if I really did see them, were going to lead me to my death if what my father told me didn't work. I mean, I know they don't want Naruto or I to die, but what he told me was too risky to even try. Well, he didn't exactly tell me what to do, more like a hint to what we should do.

Everything was just too confusing; I didn't even want to think about going back to school.

"Hey kid, you okay down there?" Jiraiya asked from his end of the table near Nagato and Yahiko.

I looked up. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

"You've been staring at your rice for two minutes, anything you would like to get off your chest?" He said rubbing the back of his neck.

"Not yet, I still have to sort things out."

"What things?" Naruto asked form my side innocently. His azure eyes gave me a worried glance, making me feel awful for always making him worry.

I smiled to reassure him, remember that Jiraiya and Yahiko were the only ones who knew that I saw my parents. "Nothing Anki, just eat your food."

"Nah, I'm full, I already had my forth helping of it. Nice cooking by the way Konan," he said, delivering his signature grin to Konan. Then he gave me a quick serious glance, meaning that we weren't done talking.

I gave him a slight nod that only he would be able to notice. Over the years we were able to communicate by eye contact and small gestures. We needed to so that others would not overhear our conversations just in case they were Madara's men. Now that we know what we know about the necklaces, it was possibly that we had this ability because of them. Or maybe we just had sibling telepathy. Nothing would surprise me at this point.

When everyone was done, I helped Konan gather up the dishes and clean them while everyone else went off to do their own thing. While I was reaching to put away some plates Konan spoke up.

"What was that important thing you wanted to tell us Sakura?"

I looked her after putting the plates away, the sound of clinking following their placement.

I sighed loudly. "Honestly I'm still trying to make sense of what I want to tell you guys, it's so little yet so immense at the same time."

She gave me a soft looking, while drying off some dishes. "I believe that whatever you have to say is important. You'll be able to sort it out."

I gave her a warm smile. "Thanks for having faith in me Konan-chan."

She laughed lightly at my endearment and said, "Anytime Sakura-chan." She then continued, "You can go now, I have everything handled."

"You sure?"

"Go," she smiled.

I grinned and went up to Naruto's room to where I knew he would be. He and I needed to talk, since we never talked after the incident. I needed to tell him what I saw and to give him a message from our parents.

**~Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the characters just the plot of this story**

**So guys faster update than usual huh? I really wanted to add some humor since many of the upcoming chapters will be intense, fast, and serious. Plus I love showing Sakura beating the crap out of Hidan…poor guy…okay not really he deserves it most of the time!**

**Anyways tell me what you thought and thank you to all the new reviews and subscriptions, they keep me going!:) Luv ya guys!**


	19. Calm Before the Storm

_**Akatsuki Orphanage **_

I slowly knocked on Naruto's door, waiting for him to answer. He came quickly, opening the door swiftly with his usual 100-watt smile. I gave him a small smile saying, "I need to talk to you Anki."

Smile still in place he nodded. "I was wondering when you were going to pop up Sakura-chan."

I walked in and sat on his bed giving my blond haired brother a dry look. "You act as if you always know what I'm going to do."

He plopped down right next to me, letting the top half of his body fall back on the bed. "That's because I know you like the back of my hand."

I sighed and looked back at him, my hands clutching his orange and white sheets. My pink hair fell across my shoulders as I felt dread coming up to my chest. How would Naruto react when I told him who I saw? Would he be furious? Or would he end up not believing me? Too many questions on my brother's actions were starting the cloud my head.

"What's wrong Sakura-chan?"

His gentle, albeit, gruff voice brought me back from my thoughts. I looked back at him, seeing that he was still lying down. "I have something important to tell you…though I'm not too sure how you'll react."

At this he tossed the upper half of his body up and entrapped me in a strong protecting hug. "Sakura-chan, I almost lost you…this was the closest time I have ever come to losing you. Whatever you have to say, you know I will stand by you. I've protected you for eight years; I'm not gunna quite now."

He squeezed me for reassurance. I felt so safe and happy in his arms, knowing that he would always protect us however he could. Naruto was strong willed like our mother, yet so kind-hearted like our father. I knew I could count on Naruto for anything, and that also meant that he would understand what I have to tell him.

I wrapped my own small arms around his large frame, and in turn he held me closer. Gathering up my courage I said rather meekly, "I saw mom and dad while I was out."

I felt his body stiffen at my words. Yeah I pretty much just dropped a bomb.

He pushed me away slowly, still stunned. He had a wild and confused look in his azure eyes. "W-what do you mean Sakura-chan?"

I looked him straight in the eyes, praying that he wouldn't freak out like he normally does. "While I was unconscious, I saw mom and dad. They said it was because I was teetering on the edge of life and death enabled me to see them. They said that they missed us and they were sorry, you know that whole thing…and they told me that we are the ones that are supposed to protect the world. Crazy, huh?"

Naruto just looked at me, his eyes blank. I reached out to wipe away the single tear that fell to his cheek, and as I wiped it away he put his large tan hand over my small pale one. Startled I looked at his eyes first, seeing that they were no longer blank, rather they were determined.

"Did you at least punch dad for all the shit we went through?"

My right hand was still under his, so that left my free hand to smack the side of his head lightly. "Seriously, I tell you that I saw our _dead_ parents, and all you have to say is 'did you punch dad?'! You baka."

He grinned a little, but then a morose look came across his handsome features. "I completely believe that you saw them, no doubt…but what exactly do they want us to do?"

I sighed and ran my now free hands through my pink locks. "Well, they were kind of vague on that point. They just said we have to stop Madara because he is directly descended from the Yomi, more so than any other Uchiha in the past or present."

Naruto waved his hands in front of his face quickly asking, "Wait, wait, the Uchiha's are descended from the Yomi demons? No wonder why I hate Sasuke so much," he mused to himself.

Smacking the back of his head I scolded him. "This is serious Naruto-kun. Itachi and Sasuke may be descended from the Yomi too, but that doesn't mean they are bad people. It seems that Madara and Tobi had more interest in things to do with the Yomi than their brother Fugaku, Itachi and Sasuke's dad."

Naruto started to rub his head, thinking. "Well did mom and dad tell you how we have to take them down? I'm not opposed to wringing any necks."

At his small, but probably serious, joke I gave a small smile. But then I remembered what our father told me. I sighed and whispered, "Well…" I gave him the risky idea our father told us to do. The reaction was instant. Naruto put his hands on my shoulder, crushing my small shoulders in his harsh grip. His eyes were intense and his voice had an angry bite to it. "What right in hell does dad have to ask us to do that?!"

"Naruto-kun calm down," I said slowly. "Look it's the only plan we have, and of course there is the possibility it won't work, but isn't that a possibility for all of our plans?"

His eyes still intense, he bit back. "Yeah, but our plans don't include death. I'm not scared to die, but I _never_ want you to leave me. When Tobi shot you…I thought I lost you, and I never want to feel that way again."

His eyes then started to take on a slight red around the iris, scaring me slightly. "Naruto," I whispered leaving out the 'kun'. "You need to calm down _now_."

His grip on my shoulders slackened, seeing that his anger was getting out of control. He let his head fall forward on my left shoulder, his blond spikes tickling my neck. "Sakura-chan, you can't die, you just can't…I don't want to be left alone."

My heart broke slowly hearing his weak words, knowing that I felt the same about him. Small tears started to leak from my emerald orbs, falling on top of Naruto's head. I shot my arms out and held him close, still crying. "You would still have Jiraiya and everyone else at the Orphanage."

"It's not the same and you know it," was his grave response.

"Who says we need to die?" I questioned. "We're survivors; from the looks of it we have the Gods on our side. As long as we stick close and play this smart, we can both come out alive on top."

I felt Naruto's head leave my shoulder; my arms fell to my sides as I looked into his azure eyes once more. He reached a hand over to my cheeks wiping away the tears that fell. His hands then went behind my head and pulled it into his chest.

"You're right Sakura-chan, either we both come out alive, or both dead…either way we'll still be together."

My hands clenched his white shirt. "We have to beat him, for the sake of everyone else."

He put one arm around my small frame saying gently, "I know Sakura-chan."

"What are we going to tell the others? They can't know what we're planning," I said, my mind going into strategy mode.

"We don't tell them, simple as that. If Jiraiya knew he would immediately say no and try to stop us. We have to be sneaky about it," Naruto answered firmly.

I got off his chest and wiped at my dry tear tracks. "So together till the end right?"

Naruto gave his 100-watt smile and a thumb up. "Always Sakura-chan!"

_**3 Days later: Konoha High**_

"So where were you guys again?" Kankuro asked from his seat in class.

"We had some business to take care of, nothing special," Naruto gave a nonchalant response.

I tossed my pink pony tail behind my shoulder and smiled at Gaara and Kankuro. "Everything's alright, no need to worry."

Gaara gave us a suspicious look but didn't say anything. Trying to keep the subject as to why Naruto and I were out for a while I asked, "So what did you guys get for number 17?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Kankuro moaned.

I giggled a little, happy to see things didn't change when it came to school. When Naruto, Sasuke, Deidara, Nagato, Konan, Yahiko, and I came back we kept having questions thrown at us. We all just decided to act as if nothing happened; Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan didn't even tell Kakashi anything about the previous events or say a word about Tobi's alibi absence.

"You really are dumb Kankuro," Gaara added.

Kankuro's face turned red with embarrassment. "Why you little-"

"Do I need to put in the corner Kankuro so you can sit there and think about what you've done?" Yahiko said, his eyes glowing with malice.

I laughed a little, seeing Kankuro choke up and sputter, "U-uh no teach, I mean, uh, sir."

Yahiko's evil face then switched to a happily grinning one. "Good, then get your homework done before I toss your butt in the corner of shame." Yahiko was serious; he had a corner in the back of the room with a label on the wall saying 'The Corner of Shame'.

Kankuro shivered. "How can you live with that?"

I shrugged. "He loves us; you just seem to piss him off too much."

"Yeah we're loveable obviously," Naruto added with a grin.

"You often make most of your teachers angry at you with for blatant disrespect brother," Gaara added his two cents.

Kankuro crossed his arms and huffed out a sigh. "Why does the world hate me?"

At this I laughed, knowing the world didn't hate him at all rather it pitied him. If the world hated anyone it would probably have to be Naruto and me, since the world's bad luck seemed to come our way. Kankuro didn't have to save the world; he only had to pass high school.

"I think the world likes you just fine," I mumbled.

"Ugh, what would you know Sakura?"

"More than you think."

The bell then rang telling us to go to our next class. I picked up my things and said to my brother, "I'm going to put my book in my locker; I'll meet you at gym."

Naruto gave me a nod and walked out.

I walked calmly to my locker, not worried about being late since they gave us extra time to change into our gym clothes. As I put my books in my locker I couldn't help but to think of how Naruto and I were betraying the others kindness towards us. I know Itachi, Nagato, and Sasori suspected something was up between us. But we couldn't tell them, that would only get them more involved and that was the last thing I wanted. Plus, they would stop us from our plan.

"Sakura," I heard a calm dull voice say behind me.

Turning around already knowing the tone I gave a small smile. "Sasuke, what are you doing here?"

"We both have gym so I thought the logical option was to walk there together rather than alone."

I gave him a dry look. "And what's up with nice attitude all of a sudden, not that I'm complaining or anything."

We started to walk down the hallway, where people would stare at us a whisper; I ignored the droning voices.

"Itachi wanted me to keep an eye on you; I feel the same as he does."

I sighed and gave him an annoyed look. "I can take care of myself kay?"

It was his turn to give me the dry look as he said, "Can you blame us for being a little cautious?"

I shrugged. "Guess not, but don't overdo it."

He ran a hand through his raven locks, earning him swooning from his fangirls on the side. "Wasn't planning on it."

I gave a soft punch on the arm or good measure. "Glad to hear it."

When we entered the gym we went separate ways, and when I was done changing I headed out of the girls locker room as fast as I could. I didn't like all of Sasuke's admirers giving me killing looks. It wasn't my fault that he was my friend for Kami's sake.

"Hey do you know what we're doing today Saku-chan?" Deidara asked coming up at my side.

Tightening my pony tail I rolled my shoulders. "How am I supposed to know?"

That's when a dancing Gai came prancing in, and Lee marveled at his masters dancing and started to copy him. I gave them a small sweat drop, wondering if they knew how ridiculous they looked.

Gai then stopped and stuck out a thumb. "Today my youthful students we will be learning some more kendo."

Many groans emitted from the girls, but I was rather excited. I excelled in anything to do with fighting or self defense so today would be a breeze. Deidara looked upset, knowing that he would rather blow things up than hit someone with a wooden sword, Shikamaru looked bored as per usual, Neji had this strange glint in his eyes, making me slightly worried, and Naruto and Sasuke were already fighting on who was better.

"But wait my young students!" Our over-enthusiastic teacher shouted. "The kendo matches will be tournament style, meaning whoever wind goes up to the next round and fights a winner from the previous battles! It's such a youthful idea!"

I shrugged not caring as long as I got to smack someone.

"Okay we will split up into pairs, which I have already set up, and we will begin!"

He started to call names off a list, mostly putting boys with boys and girls with girls. I zoned out and almost didn't hear my name called, but a shove from Deidara brought me back. "Hey Saku-chan you're up against me first, I promise to go easy on you, un."

I laughed at him, tossing my pony tail over my shoulder. "Yeah, we'll see who wins Dei-chan."

When we both got our kendo swords, Gai gave the call for us to start. Everyone then started to fight their opponent.

Deidara rushed towards me grinning, thinking he had this in the bag. I rolled my eyes and smoothly side stepped his attempt at a rush. I then turned to see that his momentum got the better of him and he was now on the ground, but he stood up quickly.

"You stink at this," I commented.

Deidara blew his blond bang from his visible eye. "Oh yeah, un? Well how about this!"

He then rushed but aimed the sword towards my legs. As he swiped at them I jumped up and pushed my feet onto his back, easily going over him. This action caused him to fall down because of the weight I exerted in him. I turned sharply, and placed a foot on his back, deciding to end it.

"Winner of match ten, Sakura Namikaze!" Gai shouted seeing that I won.

I grinned and got off of Deidara to help him up. He took my hand pouting. "Couldn't you have been a little nicer Sakura-chan."

I laughed at his pitiful look. "That was me being nice you baka."

"Round two matches will begin tomorrow class!" Gai's voice rang though the gym.

That was the signal to leave and go to our next class. So I went into the locker room and changed. Heading over to my boys, I asked them, "So how did it go?"

"Shikamaru gave up so I won," Naruto fist pumped the air.

"I won of course," Sasuke said arrogantly.

"Yeah well Saku-chan kicked my ass damn it, un," Deidara grumbled.

"I'm so telling Sasori!" Naruto shouted, happy to see Deidara in pain.

"Why you little-get back here!" Deidara yelled with a vengeance chasing Naruto down the hall. I laughed to myself and saw Sasuke smirk next to me, amused at Naruto and Deidara's antics. I was happy that I could have this moment of peace before my life would be shot to hell.

**~Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, just the plot of this story so please no stealing!**

**Okay guys I think this was a pretty good chapter. I wanted to have a serious moment between Naruto and Sakura since a lot of craziness will ensue from here on out. And putting the school moment at the end was to show the calm before the storm, hence the chapters name :)**

**And you guys will have to wait and see what amazing yet devastating plan Sakura and Naruto have, and don't blame me it was Minato's idea!**

**Anyways thanks for all the support guys I seriously love you! Please review to tell me what you though!**


	20. Nightmare Comes to Life

_**Akatsuki Orphanage **_

All I could register right now was that I was running, more like sprinting. My pink hair fell behind me as the wind picked up in front of me, trying to force my small frame backwards. I kept running though. It was the dark nothing world again, with black water lining the floor beneath my feet; I knew I had been here before.

I looked behind me, to see exactly what my mind and body was running away from. All I could see was this large cloud of smoke, spewing with red embers. The cloud itself was an entity that covered another, more ominous one in the background. My stomach immediately dropped at the sight of him, seeing that he looked almost exactly like Tobi, just with longer hair, his stare colder.

As I ran faster, he walked slowly towards me, still surrounded by the large hell cloud. But as I ran faster he got closer. Maybe it was the watery ground I was running on, maybe it was the fact that there was no light to be seen, maybe it was just because I was a slow runner; he just kept getting closer.

My lungs burned from pushing my body too hard in this world of greys and blacks. Finally, I lost my footing on the water cover ground, and fell down in a splash. The water splayed all around me, blocking my vision for only a second, and that's all he needed. Once the water fell down to the ground I looked up and saw the menacing figure of who I guessed was the Madara Uchiha.

His spiked black hair fell over half of his face, and his visible red eye gave me a cold look. His stance was firm and resolute, his arms crossed and his gaze down at me. I shivered in fear. "Why can't you just leave me alone?!"

At this he crouched down on his haunches, his voice then echoed, "I will never you alone as long as you have what I want."

His hand, covered in a black glove reached towards me, the cloud of black smoke wrapped around his hand in the process, like a smoky ribbon. I was frozen in fear, too scared to even move away from the hand that went towards me.

I felt a sudden burning sensation and turned my eyes downward to my body ever so slightly to see that my crystal was emitting a green glow. And that's exactly what Madara was reaching for. Before I could even have the chance to escape his hand grasped the crystal, his vindictive eyes shone brightly as he pulled the crystal, which in turn pulled me close to him. No-

"Sakura?"

My emerald eyes shot open to the sound of my name. I looked around quickly seeing that I was in my room at the orphanage. My body had sheen of sweat covering it, my black nightgown stuck to me from the sweat, and tears were falling from my eyes. I put my head into my hands, my hair falling over my face in process. I started to shake with fear. Was that all just a nightmare?

"Sakura, what's wrong?"

At the sound of a voice my body tensed up before I looked up quickly. There standing in my room was Itachi, he wore only black sweat pants and shirt, and his black hair was loosely put in a low pony tail. At first glance I thought he looked Madara, so I flinched away from him slightly and pulled my knees to me.

I took a deep breath, trying to get a hold of myself. This was Itachi, the kind and caring Uchiha, not the evil man I saw in my dream. Slowly I looked up, seeing that he was still there. His stress marks on the side of his face were deepened and his eyes held worry, his stance ridged not knowing what to do.

He took a deep breath before taking a step forward and looked into my teary eyes. "I was walking up the stairs to the library since I couldn't sleep. I heard sounds coming from your room and when I got to your door you were screaming, not too loud though. I came in and tried to wake you up."

He then sat on the bed and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "What happened?" he asked in his smooth velvet voice.

I looked deep into his ebony eyes, my emerald ones still gleaning because of my steadily falling tears. I don't know what possessed me to do this, maybe it was just the heat of the moment, or my need to be close to someone. I jumped forward into his chest and grasped at Itachi's shirt, burying my head into his chest. I felt him stiffen for a moment before wrapping his arms around me tightly.

As I held on to him my tears soaked his shirt, making him squeeze me harder against his chiseled chest. I need someone right now, and Itachi was just the person. He understood my pain, he knew the man that was trying to kill us. And he has always been here for me whether I wanted him there or not. He kept me warm in his arms and made me feel safe, something Naruto had only ever been able to do for me.

My sobs quieted slightly as I calmed down, Itachi noticed had loosened his grip on my waist ever so slightly, but he never let go. "What happened?" his calm voice cut the silence.

My face still lying on his chest I spoke, but my voice was ragged from crying. "It was almost the…same dream from last t-time," I felt nod in understanding. This dream was almost similar to the one when Itachi and I were in the garden that night. "B-but it was different…there was smoke covering the man and he-he just…he was terrifying…and I froze, I froze and didn't do anything."

The tears started to come slowly again but I stopped them in their tracks. No, I would not cry, not when Itachi had already seen so much weakness from me. I really didn't want to continue but I knew I had to. "And he reached for my necklace pulling me towards him i-in the process…and that's when I woke up."

After a few torturous seconds of silence, he spoke calmly. "What did this man look like?"

I sighed heavily. "I didn't get a good look at what he was wearing, the smoke cover his body…but his face looked a lot like Tobi' except he had longer hair and one of his eyes were covered." At my description Itachi once again held me close, trying to crush me into him. My hands were crammed between his and my own chest, and his chin came down on top of my head as he held me closer by the waist.

"The man you are describing is Madara, my estranged uncle," he said, his voice laced with anger and malice.

My body froze up again. So I was right? It was Madara Uchiha? Seeing him like that made me wonder if Naruto and I could go through with our plan. What if I froze up in fear again when I saw the man, it would all be over if I couldn't keep my cool.

"Have you ever seen my uncle in person before?"

Itachi's voice brought me out of my reverie. "No, like I told you before I have never seen the man before…maybe it's the necklace that allows me to see him."

Itachi pulled me closer, if it was even possible. He was careful with me in his arms though, as if I was glass, but still not too easily breakable. I felt his warm breath on my hair as he ran his hand up and down my back trying to comfort me. I clutched his shirt with my hands and snuggled further into his chest.

"Itachi?"

"Hm?"

Gathering my wits I said slowly, "Uh…do you minds sleeping with me tonight? I mean it's okay if you don't want to I just want someone here and uh-"My rambling was stopped by my body being lifted in the air. He held me close as he pulled the covers back on the bed and set me down. I sat up seeing that he was walking to the other side and climbed in next to me. He scooted up close to me and looked into my eyes. "Sakura, lie down and go to sleep I will be here for you tonight…nothing will hurt you while I am by your side."

I complied with his request, touched by his words and actions of kindness. I lied down and snuggled close to his warm chest, and he wrapped his arms around my small body in turn. I smiled slightly and slowly fell asleep to the sound of his heart beating.

_**Akatsuki Orphanage: 7 hours later**_

The sunlight drifted into my room, beckoning for me to wake up. I opened my eyes slowly, still feeling a warm entity on my right side, its arm encompassing me. My eyes opened to see that my back was to Itachi's chest and he had his arms wrapped around me, in a comforting and safe embrace. I gave a small smile remembering the events of last night. The nightmare had shaken me up and Itachi being there was what made me back away from my fear.

I turned my body around so that I now faced his chest, his arms adjusted, pulling me closer in his sleep. His face looked so calm, his hair fell over his shoulder, some strands falling across his face, and his stress marks seemed almost nonexistent on his serene face. Looking at his face I couldn't help but to think were Itachi and I just really good friends? I mean besides Nagato, he was the first person in the orphanage that I truly connected with. Did I feel something more for him?

I sighed quietly to myself in fear of waking him up. If I did feel more for him it wouldn't matter if died now would it? But the plan may also leave me alive too, if I was smart about it. But who's to say he wouldn't end up hating me when and if he found out what Naruto and I were up to.

I was taken away from my thoughts as I felt movement next to me. Itachi's eyes slowly opened revealing clear ebony. He smirked before asking, "Feel better?"

I nodded and smiled brightly. "Thank you, thank you for everything last night…I hope I wasn't too much of a bother."

At this he shook his head. "You never are Sakura, if you ever need me at any time I will be here, do not forget."

I smiled at him and snuggled into his chest, wrapping my arms as much as I could around his body. "Thank you," I whispered loud enough for him to hear. His arms around me tightened. "Anytime," he replied.

He then let go and pulled me up with him. "I believe that we should go downstairs, it's time for breakfast." At the sound of the word breakfast my stomach growled loudly, and I rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment. He shook his head and gave me a real smile holding his hand out to me. I took it and he pulled me up. My black nightgown moved at the action, telling me that it was no longer stuck to my body with sweat from last night's nightmare.

He kept hold of my hand as he led me out of the room and downstairs. As we entered the kitchen I heard some yelling and smashing. Typical.

We walked through the doorway ad saw that Hidan was yelling at Kisame, Yahiko and Deidara were giving each other a stare down, Konan and Nagato were slowly drinking their tea, Sasuke and Sasori were mumbling idiots under their breaths, Tsunade looked pissed, and Jiraiya just laughed. I sweat dropped and my shoulders stooped downward, Itachi just shook his head…now all that was missing was…

"Sakura-chan!"

I was able to side step Naruto's hug, being in the tight doorway with Itachi. But when Naruto hugged me he also caught Itachi in the hug dragging us both down to the ground due to a loss in balance. I gave a little yelp as we went down, and heard Itachi and Naruto grunt.

All the fighting, glaring, and laughing stopped to the sound of us falling on the floor. I was on the bottom with Itachi and Naruto on top of me, our limbs intertwined. All I wanted was some food, not to be tackled.

"Ha you guys looked fucked up!" Hidan shouted laughing at the same time.

"Hey get off Saku-chan, un!" Deidara said leaping forward to start helping me up. He dragged me from under Itachi and Naruto and set me right on my feet, leaving Itachi and Naruto in a heap on the floor. I nodded to Deidara. "Thanks Deidara."

He gave me a wide smile. "No problem Saku-chan."

"You _do_ have it hard, poor twit," I heard Sasori say from the table. I turned to see him shaking his head at Deidara giving him a smug look. Confused I looked at Deidara who was slowly turning red with anger or embarrassment, I couldn't tell.

"Y-you shut up, un! Bastard!" Deidara yelled at Sasori, his face still turning red.

Turning my attention away from the bickering artists I looked to my brother and Itachi, who were still trying to get untangled.

"Would you please get off of me Naruto," Itachi said, voice slightly strained.

"What do you think I'm trying to do," Naruto grunted while pulling at his left leg.

I laughed and pulled my long hair behind my ear. "Nagato want to give me a hand here?"

I heard Nagato get up, and I looked behind me to see his strange eyes smiling at me. We then both leaned down, me taking care to make sure my nightgown didn't pull up, and untangled the two young men. Itachi got up smoothly, Naruto on the other hand stayed on the ground a while longer, then he looked up at me. "Sorry Sakura-chan, I just had something really important to tell you."

"Yeah well I could've told her kid," Jiraiya mumbled crossing his arms.

"Yeah but I'm here big brother which means I get to tell her," Naruto grumbled. He then stood up fast and grinned. "The old perv over there is going to take us to his business today and teach us some things about it since the two of us are taking over when he retires."

"I won't let anywhere near there if you keep calling me that brat!" Jiraiya shouted, getting irritated.

"He's not wrong though," Tsunade mentioned. Jiraiya turned his angry stare to her but before that could escalate I quickly asked, "So exactly what are we going to do?"

Jiraiya turned to me and gestured to the table. "Sit down and eat, then we can talk."

I sat down in the empty seat next to Naruto, and Itachi smoothly moved into the seat next to mine.

"Hey that was my seat Uchiha, un!" Deidara fumed.

Itachi put his head on his hand and gave a hooded glace towards Deidara. "The seat was open; there are plenty of other places to sit." Itachi then began to reach for a rice ball and some fish. Deidara couldn't do anything but fume.

I reached forward ignoring Deidara's glares towards Itachi. Grabbing two rice balls and some fish I started to plop them into my mouth. As always it was delicious. As Naruto and I ate some more Jiraiya started to speak.

"Now, as you both know I was training your late father how the world of business works. I have no successors to take over so I decided that once you two are old enough you can take over since you're my godchildren and all. So today I thought that I could show you around the place I made and teach you more about it."

I nodded. "So you do more than write porn?"

At this he stiffened and the rest of the table chuckled. "Well, uh yeah…you see I run an information business. In other words people hire my company to help them out and find info on things such as missing family members, or conduct investigations."

"So in a way you're kind of like law enforcement?" Naruto questioned.

"Well not exactly kid," Jiraiya huffed. "We do personal things, without the government butting in. Those guys can barely ever get anything done so plenty of people come to me. The only people I've never been able to find were you two," he pointed at the two of us with his chopsticks.

I started to laugh a little. "Well we do know all the great places to hide."

"And that's another reason why you two would be great since you already know where people would hide. So what do ya say?"

"I'm in," Naruto grinned happily. "Dad wanted to do this so I think it's a good idea."

"Same here!" I said with alacrity.

Jiraiya smiled largely and shouted, "Great! As soon as you two are done get ready and meet me downstairs." He then left the table to get ready himself.

"You know Sakura-chan," Naruto piped up from next to me. "You'll probably end up running this thing on your own when you're older. You're smarter and all so I think I'll just help out."

I slapped him on the backside of the head fast. "Idiot, you're smart and I'm not doing this all by myself you jerk."

"It is quite an honor you two," Itachi said from besides me. "Jiraiya's company, Myoboku, is very popular in Japan. It runs right behind the…Uchiha Corporation."

At this Sasuke stiffened, he then stared down at his food silently. The rest of table was caught in the tense and uncomfortable atmosphere. If my plan worked out the way I wanted it to then Itachi and Sasuke could retake their company.

I put a hand on Itachi's shoulder, returning the favor for him comforting me last night. "Trust me, when all of this is over you will have what your parents wanted you to keep."

At this Itachi and Sasuke's head shot towards me. "How can you be sure?" Sasuke questioned harshly.

I ignored his tone and smiled. "Trust me, that's all you need to do."

At this I got up from the table and put my stuff in the sink, as I walked away from the dumbfounded table I said, "I'm going to get ready Anki."

And with that I left.

_**Akatsuki Orphanage: 4 hours later**_

I hopped into Jiraiya's car, taking shotgun. We just left the company building; I think we were there for about two hours or so. The building itself was gorgeous; its exterior was completely glass, with metal beams running around the outside. The building was pointed at the top, giving it a western sort of feel. The interior of the building was also beautiful. It was professional, but the light colors gave the building a happier feeling rather than it just being a business building. And Jiraiya's office, which was on the top floor, was spacious and almost all the walls were made of glass.

As Jiraiya slammed the door he turned to me and then to Naruto in the back. "So what did you guys think?"

I smiled at him gratefully. "I thought the building itself was amazing Jiraiya. And all the employees were nice as well."

"Yeah, it was great!" shouted an exuberant Naruto. "Glad you think we run it."

Jiraiya smiled, making his red lines scrunch up. "Happy to hear it! All my employees are happy I found you since all I ever did was obsess over trying to find you two. And from the looks of it they like you too."

He then turned around and started the car. "If we get home in time we might be able to catch dinner so we should get going." And with that we off.

I tugged at my light green dress and tightened my pony tail that held my long locks. I wanted to look nice and all so I put on a halter top green dress, the color almost matched my necklace, and over it I put on a white blazer. Naruto just wore jeans a dress shirt, since he refused to wear dress pants.

I started to braid my hair absently, still thinking about the plan. It would be great to be head of a company that helped people like Naruto and myself, but who's to say that we will live that long. Our father wasn't exactly asking us to do the impossible, just the insane. It would work or it wouldn't, there was no in-between. I caught Naruto's cerulean eyes in the review mirror, and could see he was thinking the same thing as he touched his necklace. I gave him a sad smile, and he returned it with the nod of his head, returning to his thoughts.

I sighed looking at the winding road ahead, wondering when peace would come.

We arrived back at the house within a couple of minutes since the Myoboku building wasn't too far from the orphanage. Jiraiya parked the car in large garage stepping out with a smile, and Naruto and I stepped out somber. Jiraiya took notice and put a hand on either of our shoulders.

"Hey, guys you okay?" His voice heavy with concern.

Naruto and I looked at each other, gave a mini nod and turned back to Jiraiya with forced smiles. "Yeah, we're good let's go get some dinner," I said quickly. Naruto and I then left Jiraiya confused in the garage as we headed inside. When we walked down the hall I saw Naruto had a hard expression on his face.

I stopped walking, at which he stopped ahead of me when he noticed. "We shouldn't be sad kay Naruto-kun. We'll figure it out, plus we don't want the others to get worried."

Naruto walked back to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "If I see dad in my head I'm going to give him hell…but you're right Sakura-chan," he sighed. "This is the only plan we have that has the slightest chance of working. Now let's get going before the others notice." He then took my hand, like when we were little, and led me to the kitchen through the winding halls of the orphanage.

As we entered the kitchen everyone, including Jiraiya was sitting down at the table. "Hey guys what took ya so long?" Kisame questioned.

The both of us rubbed our necks at the same time, and I slightly blushed. "Uh, we were just talking about how great Myoboku is."

"Yeah, now I'm hungry so make some room," Naruto said quickly, trying to get off the subject.

Ding.

My head went up at the sound wondering what it was.

Ding.

"Someone's at the door, strange," Sasori commented from his seat.

Ding.

I shrugged. "Since I'm up I'll go get it."

Ding.

I left quickly, getting annoyed of whoever was ringing the doorbell constantly. Didn't they know it was dinner time?

Ding.

As I passed the stairwell, I felt a burning sensation on my chest. I quickly stopped walking and felt for my necklace. It was emitting a bright green glow and was flaring up with heat. A warning.

I didn't notice that the doorbell stopped ringing in my thoughts about my necklace. And that's when I heard the gunshots. Multiple gunshots were being shot through the door, making bullet holes in the think wood. I gave a yelp as I hid behind a part of the staircase that wrapped around. Crouching down I did my best to make sure I wasn't hit.

The gunfire ceased a couple minutes later when the door was smashed down. No, this couldn't be happening again, not like all those years ago. Hearing the intruders start to run in I jumped from my hiding spot and started to run like hell shouting, "Everyone get out now! Run!"

The intruders of course noticed and shot at me. In the heat of the moment I slashed my hand backwards, and then I heard some screams. Quickly I turned around and when my hair fell away from my face I notice that a slash of green light was shooting towards the intruders. When it hit some of them, they fell back with a scream, their bullets doing nothing to stop it.

I looked down at my hands. Did I do that?

I was brought out of my thoughts by more gunfire. I ducked again and started to run. I ran as fast as I could and ran right into someone's chest. Before I fell the person I ran into held me up with strong arms. I looked up to see Sasuke, his eyes intently looking at me for any wounds.

"We have to move now," he said grabbing my hand dragging me with him.

"Don't have to tell me twice," I huffed. "Where are the others."

"Sasuke didn't get a chance to answer me as we ran into more gunmen. I forced my hand out of Sasuke's grip, and jumped forward to attack the gunmen. Sasuke, getting the hint jumped into the fray to kicking and punching down men, while trying to dodge bullets.

I sweep kicked someone from under their feet making them fall onto their backs, and Sasuke just punched another one in the jaw. We stopped for a moment and breathed hard, the men who attacked us were down at least for now.

I put my hands on my knees, then got up slowly and pushed my long hair out of my face. I looked towards Sasuke as he said, "We need to find my brother and the others, let's go."

I nodded as we went through the winding hallways; we went slowly and stopped as intruders crossed our paths. No one noticed us yet, a good sign. As we reached the back of the house we heard sounds of a struggle. I peered around the corner to see Itachi, Hidan, and my brother fighting off some attackers. Looking to Sasuke he silently nodded, giving me the message to help.

Sasuke and I jumped in trying to help, all of fighting back to back. I moved towards a man who had his gun pointed at me and grabbed at the hand holding the gun and raised it up in the air. I squeezed at his wrist harshly, making him yell in pain and let go of the gun. I caught the gun and aimed it at the man's feet, firing bullets into them so he couldn't get up. I did the same thing to others until the bullets ran out.

I threw the gun on the ground and saw that the others were all trying to catch their breath while Hidan was still kicking some guy in the head. "Mother fucker, comes into our goddamn house and thinks he can do whatever the hell he wants!"

Yeah he was okay.

"Sakura, Sasuke you two alright?" Itachi questioned from my side.

I huffed and threw my hair backwards. "Yeah, you three?"

"We're good Sakura-chan," Naruto breathed out. "These guys from Uchiha Cooperation?"

Sasuke walked forward in the dim light of the hallway and bent down to an unconscious man. He flipped the collar over and growled. "Yeah, they've got our family symbol."

"Your fucking family sucks Uchiha," Hidan grounded out.

"Naruto," I said dropping the honorific. "This is a little too close to the day mom and dad died."

"Yeah I noticed too," he growled. "These guys are getting pretty damn bold to storm in here."

I nodded and was about to comment more but a sudden familiar voice stopped me.

"Get them now!"

I turned around, trying to find the voice amongst the darkness of the large hallway. I felt footsteps on my right and swung my hand out, only to feel something burst out of my hand again. I looked and saw the same slash of light hit a man as he flew backwards with a scream.

I think I like having light fingers, heh.

That was until I felt someone catch me in a choke hold from behind. I grasped at the offending hands around my neck trying to get them off. It was no use though; whoever was behind me was very strong, almost inhumanly strong.

The last thing I registered before my world went completely black was the sound of someone calling my name.

**~Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way, just the plot of this story.**

**Ha, so what do you guys think! I bet by now you can all tell this is heading towards an ItaSaku story, and Deidara loves her but he will never have her. Oh poor little guy, and Sasori is so mean about it!**

**Anyways with Jiraiya's business and all I thought it would be good to mention that the Namikaze siblings were going to be getting it because Minato was originally going to have it after all. And the name of it comes from the place where Jiraiya, Naruto, and Minato train to with the toads, Myoboku.**

**And the ending bit was sort of a déjà vu thing from the first chapter. Now this kinda scews up Sakura and Naruto's plan a bit, but it will happen still!**

**Anyways tell me what you all thought about it and how you think I'm doing with the scenes so far (such as love or fighting scenes). Thank you all for the lovely reviews!**


	21. Aftermath

_**Location: Unknown (for now)**_

I groggily opened my eyes, feeling the heaviness on my eyelids. Slowly I fully opened them, letting them adjust to the dim light of the small room I was in. I groaned when I fully came to, my head and stomach throbbing like crazy. What happened?

I thought to myself, trying to remember, and if it wasn't for this damn headache-

"Sakura, you okay?"

I jumped ever so slightly at the monotone voice that spoke my name. Looking to my left I saw Sasuke in the same position as me; sitting on the ground, legs and arms tied up tightly. I gave him a bewildered look. "Do you know what the hell is going on?"

Sasuke leaned back against the wall, and then looked at me. "We were attacked by Uchiha Corporation," he spitted out the Uchiha, "so it's probably safe to say that we are at their headquarters, or another building they own."

I looked around the room to see it nicely furnished; a desk across from us, a door on the other side of the room, and some random filing cabinets. I rubbed my bare legs against the carpeted floor, still in my light green dress from earlier. "The carpets new," I commented.

Sasuke gave me an irritated look. "We're stuck in the hands of the man who has tried to kill you and Naruto plenty of times, succeeded in killing both mine and your parents and you're thinking about the new carpet?"

I gave him a glare of my own. "Sorry if it helps me to notice meaningless things in a time of great crisis kay? I don't take so kindly to kidnapping," then slowly my eyes turned curious. "But, why did they take you and not Naruto-kun?"

Sasuke shrugged, his face brooding. "Maybe they need me as bait, I've never been able to decipher how my _despicable_ uncles think."

I banged my head lightly against the wall, frustrated with our position. We were in the enemy's grasp and I didn't know if the others were alright. What I Naruto was hurt, or Itachi, or Hidan, or Dei, or practically anyone else. There was one thing I was sure about though; Madara Uchiha is never taking anything from me again.

"Hey do you think-"I was cut off the sudden sound of the door opening swiftly. Looking towards the entrance, my eyes hurt at the light that flooded in, still used to the dim light. When the door closed I heard a dark chuckle, a chuckle I often heard in my dreams. Correction, nightmares.

Another figure popped up next to the man who chuckled, it was the two-toned eye man Tobi.

"See, told you Tobi could get them for you," Tobi said excitedly.

The shadowed man came closer, until he was only inches in front of us. His cruel eyes gazed down coldly at Sasuke and me, scrutinizing us. I heard him growl as he sharply turned around and smashed Tobi against the wall.

"Why is it that when I give you the simplest of task you manage to find a way to royally damn it all to hell," he whispered sharply.

"I-I'm sorry I thought I got them Madara, but-" Tobi stuttered.

Madara cut him off harshly. "Do I need to get new carpet to clean a future stain?"

I gulped at this, wondering how many times this place had to get new carpet. So, this was the man who made my life and Naruto's a living hell. Just one man with a lot of power, with the persona to back it up it seemed. He was terrifying, but I only felt numbness. No rage, sadness, or fear, just numb. Why?

"-but we can use Sasuke, to get Naruto to hand over the Source and-" Tobi rambled.

Madara pushed him harder against the wall. "This was not part of the plan. Every detail, every flaw was planned and laid out perfectly. And you just. Screw. It. Up."

Tobi said nothing. Madara dropped him to the ground, and slowly strode his way over to us.

"Silent, huh, never thought you would be the type Sasuke," Madara commented coolly.

Sasuke's eyes flashed dangerously. "Don't you dare speak to me you heartless bastard! Do you know how much Itachi and I suffered after you _murdered_ our parents?!"

Madara just narrowed his eye slightly, barley showing emotion. "Frankly, I don't care. Fugaku knew he was delving into something dangerous and beyond him. I only put him in his rightful place; the ground."

I felt Sasuke tense up to yell again, but I interrupted him. "Why didn't you take it?"

Madara, turning his eye away from Sasuke, gave me an unreadable look. "You see your parent's killer for the first time and you do not even show emotion. Strange."

I blew my pink locks out of my face and stared at him evenly. "I can feel my necklace around my neck. Why didn't you take it?"

Madara then went down on his haunches so he could look at me eye-leveled. "Patience. All I need is your brother and then your miserable lives will end. Quickly and painless if I chose so…or long and torturous. I would say it's your choice, but that would be a lie."

I just glared at him. "Let Sasuke go, you have no need for him." At my words Sasuke growled.

"Don't just hand yourself over to him Sakura," Sasuke hissed. "Are going to give up that easily?"

I turned his way and smirked. "What the hell do you think?"

_**Konoha Hospital**_

Everyone sat or stood in Tsunade's large office, each having different expressions ranging from pure anger to plain indifference. But one thing was for sure; they were all beyond pissed. People, with guns, decided to waltz into their _home_ and take two precious people. They would pay, was all on their minds.

Tsunade sat at her desk hands folded, Jiraiya besides her leaning against the wall. Konan sat in a chair with Yahiko and Nagato standing around her. Hidan sat on the floor with Deidara and Sasori hovering over him. Itachi stood in a dark corner, Kisame sitting on the ground next him, and Naruto seethed in front of Tsunade's desk.

Unable to take the silence any further, Naruto slammed his hand on the desk. "We have to go after them!" he shouted. "They have my sister and Sasuke-teme, we have to barge in a break them out now!"

Tsunade huffed. "Naruto we are in a hospital, quiet." Tsunade understood his pain, she herself was feeling irate and morose, but she couldn't let that blind her judgment. Some of them already sustained wounds, and she would be damned if she let _her_ kids get hurt further.

"That's not good enough!" Naruto shouted once more, ignoring Tsunade's earlier scold.

She looked at him, eyes steely. "You are not the only one who is suffering. Everyone here would love to charge Uchiha Cooperation, but we can't afford to do that. Do you want to risk the lives of everyone in this room?"

Naruto grounded out, "Fine, I'll go on my own, and none of you will stop me."

"That is not wise," Nagato said softly, not wanting to make Naruto angrier.

Naruto whirled around on him, about to shout again, but Nagato's soft voice cut him off. "They won't do anything since they don't have you yet. We can't just go in blindly, its suicide."

"How do you know they're not doing anything?" Naruto questioned, still enraged.

"Naruto stop," Itachi's smooth, troubled voice spoke from the corner.

Naruto started to shake in anger. Why wouldn't anyone understand?! Naruto then felt a strong hand on his shoulder and looked up into the eyes of his godfather. Jiraiya looked worse for the wear, bandages her and there after his efforts to protect the kids. His eyes shone with unshed tears, mirroring Naruto's own glistening eyes.

"Naruto," Jiraiya spoke solidly. "We _will_ get Sakura and Sasuke back, but you will not go after them. I'm not going to lose you again, got it?"

Naruto looked up into his eyes and said slowly, "I can't promise that."

Naruto then shrugged out of his grip and headed for the door. Itachi stood in his way.

"Get out of my way Uchiha," Naruto growled.

"What do you think you are going to be able to do?" Itachi questioned.

Naruto grunted. "A lot more than just standing around here like a bunch of weaklings. Now get out of my way."

Itachi looked Naruto over a moment before saying, "You're not going without me." Naruto was about to protest but Itachi spoke before he could talk. "I know where my uncles are keeping them and I know the place from the inside out. You're going to need me."

Naruto gave a look over before shoving Itachi aside. "No, I don't need your help; I can find Sakura-chan on my own."

"Hey, don't leave, un!" Deidara protested as Naruto wretched the door open.

Naruto stopped in the doorway and looked back. "I'll comeback with Sakura-chan and Sasuke, _that_ I can promise."

And he left, ignoring the shouts and protests behind him. He would get them back, he never broke his promises.

_**Location: Unknown (for now)**_

I looked over at Sasuke, and saw him trying to get out of his bonds. He and I were the only ones left in the room now, Madara and Tobi gone.

My eyes started to flutter, heavy with sleep. I had to stay awake though, to make sure I could escape at any given opportunity. I tried to separate my bonds earlier, but to no avail. Whatever these things were made of they were unbreakable. Sasuke still tried though.

"Sasuke…are you okay?" I questioned, trying to create conversation.

Sasuke stopped fiddling with the bonds and turned his head towards me. "Emotionally or physically?"

"Emotionally."

He sighed loudly. "Once we get out of here I'm ripping his arrogant head off the greedy little body of his. That's all you need to know…are you okay?"

I rubbed my head against the wall, really wishing to go asleep. "Fan-freaking-tasitc, thanks for asking. This is not my day, that's all _you_ need to know."

Sasuke didn't say anything rather; he just nudged me with his shoulder. I looked over at him with tired and curious eyes. "What?" I asked.

He gave me a slightly shy look before stating, "Sleep, you need it. We can take shifts."

Too tired to protest, I scooted closer to Sasuke and leaned my head against his shoulder, my eyes slowly falling to a close. I felt the familiar burn of my necklace before letting sleep envelop me.

**~Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way just this story**

**Hey guys I know this is reeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllll lllllllyyyyyy late! But I kind of rushed this chapter slightly so I could give you guys something for Christmas….so uh Merry Christmas!**

**The reason why Sakura isn't freaking out about being with Madara will be revealed later on, it's all part of her and Naruto's plan, kinda. And I'm really liking Madara's character right now! (And I hope you all can remember that carpet reference from previous chapters!)**

**Tell me what you all thought, I do enjoy reading any and all comments! Thank you for the constant support and review! :)**

**P.S. Don't you just love a badass Naruto!?**


	22. Escape PT 1

_**Konoha: Naruto POV**_

I walked; more like ran down the street to get as far away from the hospital as possible. I told Jiraiya that I couldn't promise not to go after them, and this is why. The plan was practically in shambles, but it was how you looked at it. Sakura already being there made the plan half way done, but not the way we wanted.

"Damn," I huffed under my breath. I let my hand punch into the side of a building next to me.

Smash!

I jumped, startled at the sound and looked to where I just punched. There was a hole through the brick wall. I looked down to my hand and was amazed to see a fading blue glow over it. Did I do that?

I looked back to the hole again and remembered that when we were fighting in the Orphanage, Sakura shot out some strange green light that knocked out some of the intruders. They were probably connected, I thought. My blue necklace burned on my neck, as if saying I was correct.

I grasped the little blue gem and stared hatefully at it. Sure it seemed to be giving Sakura and me these _strange_ abilities, but look at how much trouble they caused. My parents and Sasuke's were dead because of them, and we all became orphans. Sakura and I almost died on multiple occasions and our childhoods were taken away from us.

Resisting punching the wall again in fear of making another hole, I screamed out in rage. How had our lives gotten completely shot to hell?

I breathed harshly and started walking again, wondering if the others were coming after me. They probably will, but I was too fast. Plus, I have quiet the track record of disappearing, leaving no trace behind.

I stuck my hands in the pockets of my jeans and walked around aimlessly, not knowing exactly where the Uchiha Cooperation Building was. There had to be some way I could find Sakura, I just had to figure out how.

And that's when I felt it. My necklace started to burn again. Reaching under my shirt I pulled out the blue crystal and saw it glowing brightly. I was about to yell or rant at it for being trouble, but I was stopped in my tracks when the necklace shot away from my neck, but was still attached to the long drawstring. The crystal's tip was pointed to my right, as if beckoning me to go that way. Seeing that I had no other leads I ran to where my crystal pointed, hoping that it would lead me to Sakura.

_I'm coming Sakura-chan!_

_**Uchiha Cooperation Building **_

My eye lids fluttered open as I felt a slight nudge on my shoulder. I lifted my head up to see Sasuke staring straight at the door, which was slowly opening. I looked back at Sasuke and saw that his body was all tense and there was a cold sweat forming on his brow.

"Hey, everything's going to be fine, just have faith," I whispered.

He gave me an incredulous look. "Faith in whom?"

I smirked. "Our friends."

He just looked strangely at me, and before he could answer the door swung completely open to reveal Tobi and a man with tan skin, green eyes, and half of his face covered up. They walked slowly towards us and then Tobi knelt down to our level.

"Sasuke-chan, Sakura-chan we are moving you to another location so please don't struggle," Tobi said happily and then he turned to the man looming behind him. "Kakuzu, you are to find the Namikaze boy with a blue version of this necklace." Tobi reached forward and grabbed my necklace and lifted it up to show Kakuzu what it looked like.

Kakuzu shrugged and crossed his arms. "As long as I get the money."

Tobi grinned. "You will be paid handsomely, now go unless you want Madara to mess you up."

Kakuzu just glared and walked out of the room. Tobi then turned back to us and said, "Stand up we're leaving." He untied our feet, then grabbed the both of us by our elbows and forced us up. Sasuke growled and I just glared, knowing there was nothing I could do about it.

Tobi led us out of the room and down a hallway towards the elevator. The door opened immediately as he pressed the button. Tobi pushed us into the elevator and stepped in after us. I was next to Sasuke while Tobi just rolled back and forth on the balls of his feet, seemingly unaware of his surroundings.

"Where's Madara?" Sasuke asked tersely, breaking the silence.

Tobi didn't turn around. "Preparing."

I perked up at this and asked, "For what?"

Tobi turned around and smiled. "Wouldn't pretty flower-chan like to know, hm?"

I glared at him and blew a strand of hair out of my face. "You know you won't win."

Both Sasuke and Tobi looked at me, startled. "And what makes you so sure?" Tobi asked.

"My brother."

_**Konoha: Naruto POV**_

I kept on running, ignoring my loss of breath. The necklace kept pointing different ways at crossroads, leading me on what seemed like a wild goose chase. But I had to believe that it was leading me to my sister.

Making an abrupt right turn as my necklace moved, I noticed that I was in the richer parts of Konoha. The buildings were taller and more expensive looking. The streets were lined with calming lampposts and an occasional bench was placed here and there. The streets were deserted though.

I kept my fast pace up, not taking in my surroundings like I should have. My mistake.

A large hand came out of nowhere and grasped me by the shoulder, pulling me into a dark alleyway. How cliché. I prepared myself to punch the attacker in the face, hoping that my newfound glowing strength thing would kick in. But the voice I heard stopped me.

"Naruto, calm down."

I looked my, brushing my blond locks out of my eyes, to see Itachi Uchiha staring at me intently, his face impassive. He let go of my shoulder and gave a small smirk. "You really thought you could go after them alone?"

I growled in response. "Why are you stopping me? Your brother is in trouble too you teme!"

His eyes hardened immediately. "And that is the reason I am here. I cannot allow you to do this alone, not without my help."

I crossed my arms. "And who says I want or _need_ your help?"

He stepped closer and glared at me. "You know you can't save them on your own without getting yourself killed or captured in the process. Now instead of wasting time bickering, we should get going."

I sighed, knowing that I wouldn't be able to get the damn Uchiha off my tail. So instead I focused on my necklace, praying that it would lead the way again. I felt it get warm and then lift up in the air quickly, pointing straight out of the alleyway.

Itachi gave my necklace a strange look before turning his questioning glance towards me. "Necklace from the Gods, now let's get moving!"

Itachi nodded and we rounded out of the alleyway and darted down the street to where, hopefully, Sakura and Sasuke would be.

_**Uchiha Cooperation Building **_

We were still in the elevator, with Sasuke standing protectively in front of me and Tobi standing silently. The building must've been huge since we were on the 105th floor and now we were slowly descending to the 17th floor. And after I made the comment about my brother, Tobi only laughed and said nothing more.

I thought to myself how perfect the plan would be going if Naruto were here to replace Sasuke. Going over the plan in my head still seemed ludicrous, but it was our last shot. At least it was the only shot we knew of that had the smallest inkling of working. Plus, it was my parents who gave me the idea, and I trusted them, even after death.

But being captured at this point in time would only put a wrench in the plans.

Seeing that we were now on the passing the 20th floor, I reached deep inside myself and concentrated, trying to remember the feeling I had when I used the burst of light earlier in the Orphanage. I felt my necklace become slightly warmer.

The light showed that we were now on the 19th floor.

I concentrated harder, a cold sweat forming on my brow.

18th floor.

The necklace got warmer; the warmth enveloped my entire being.

17th floor.

Ding.

I pushed my tied hands forward and pointed them at Tobi's back, and forced the green light out of my fingertips.

Tobi was flung out of the elevator as the door opened. He screamed as he got hit with my slash of light. Sasuke started at me with mixed emotions of amazement and utter confusion. I shouted quickly, "Come on! We need to get moving."

He only nodded and we both raced out of the elevator and ran, our hands still tied up. Before we could make it a good 7ft out we encountered opposition. Guards surrounded us and pointed guns at us. Sasuke and I now had our backs together and he grounded out, "Now might be a great time to do whatever the hell you did back there."

"Get down," I whispered harshly.

He ducked down immediately as I swung around and shot the light out of my hands into a circle, pushing all the men backwards, some falling unconscious depending on what they landed on.

"Now what do we do? We're on the 17th floor," I huffed out, my exhaustion slowly getting to me.

Sasuke let me lean against him as he thought back to all the times he had been in this building as a child. He then perked up and turned to me, "When Itachi came here years ago, we would always slide down the laundry chute to get away from babysitters. If the layout's the same, we should be able to slide down the chute and to the 1st floor."

I smiled brightly. "You're a genius."

He only turned away and blushed. "Do you think you could get these bindings off our wrists?"

"I can try," I said quickly. Focusing on mine first, I forced the green light to push outwards on my wrist, which effectively disintegrated the bindings. I then turned to Sasuke quickly and carefully did the same to his. As I was about to rub my wrists, he grabbed onto my hand and started to run down the hallways. "We have to keep moving. Tobi and the others could wake up at any minute."

I only nodded and let him lead me down the never-ending hallways. After more twists and turns than I could count, we encountered a hole in the wall covered by a silver panel. Sasuke pulled it open and gestured for me to go. It was a tight fit, but with my petite frame I could manage. So I hopped in the chute and slid down, trying to keep my body straight.

A couple moments later I was shot out into a pile of white and black uniforms, landing softly upon the pile. I looked up from where I came and waited for Sasuke. And soon enough I heard the tell-tale signs of banging as he descended down the chute and then shot out, right on top of me. Damn.

I groaned as he tried to pull himself off of me. He did as quickly as possible and then jumped down from the large pile. "Jump Sakura, I'll catch you."

I rolled my eyes. "I can catch myself just fine, thanks."

He glared heatedly up at me. "Not in the condition you're in," he argued, "Now jump down damn it."

I just rolled my eyes and jumped down into his arms, he held me up and steadied me, keeping me upright. I mumbled a small thanks to which he replied with the usual 'Hn'.

I then looked around, thinking that we were so close to freedom, at least Sasuke was.

"Now what?"

**~Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto just the plot of this story**

**WOW….it's been a while hasn't it? I know, I know I'm a lazy ass that can't update regularly like a normal person. I ask for your forgiveness and understanding since the fan base for this story is actually really kind and awesome. Thank you all for not bashing me for taking such a long freaking time!**

**Now some people asked about the carpet reference in the last chapter, that was in chapter 13 Beach Troubles. Thought I would just throw it in there.**

**Thank you to all my faithful readers that have dealt with my annoying and unpredictable updates! Please Review again since it's what keeps me going!**

**P.S. to those who asked about why I love cliffhangers….well you're still reading aren't you? :)**


	23. Escape PT 2

_**Uchiha Corporation Building **_

"Now we run."

Sasuke took hold of my hand and started to run as fast as his legs could take him, dragging me behind him. My long pink locks whipped around my hair as Sasuke led us out of the bottom of who knows where.

"Are we on the first floor or lower floor?" I questioned in huffs.

Sasuke took a sharp left before answering. "Basement, we have to go up one floor and then we're out of here."

My eyes grew large slightly. "That's a death trap because the only way up is-"

"The stairs, yeah I know," Sasuke cut me off. "But it's our only option," he turned right and said, "we're approaching the stairs, get ready just in case we run into any resistance Sakura."

I only nodded and ran with him, his hand still grasping my hand. It only took a couple of seconds before we reached the stairs. Sasuke shoved the door open and let go of my hand. And we raced up the stairs, hopping to get up smoothly.

Bang!

I ducked down as Sasuke stood over me, protecting me with his body. I looked up underneath his arm and saw Uchiha guards shooting down at us. "Told you it was a death trap," I shouted over the gunfire.

Sasuke huffed, "They won't kill us, at least not yet."

Sasuke then ushered me down the stairs a little bit to get enough cover. We crouched down on the ground together and started to think. What could we do to knock these guys out and get upstairs as well? Then it hit me.

"Hey maybe I could try to do that light thing again," I said.

Sasuke shrugged. "Worth a shot. We can go up a little more, but not too much."

I grinned. "Don't worry I'll be fine, just stay behind me kay?"

He gave me a small glare, but his eyes ebbed concern. I gave him a reassuring smile before I tip-toed up the stairs slowly. I poked my head around one of the flights to feel a bullet whizz past my head. I pulled back fast and took a deep breath. Grasping my necklace now, I prayed for a freaking miracle.

I felt my hand grow warm as I jutted it out and swung it outward, hoping that something, anything would shoot out. I heard some screaming and looked up. Some of the men's bodies fell backward, while a couple of them were falling down the empty space of the stairs, right at me.

I jumped down to get out of the way and fell into Sasuke's arms. He gave me a slight wide-eyed look and said, "Remind me to never get on your bad side again."

I pushed off him and smirked. "Then don't be a bastard every other day."

He just scowled at me. "We should get moving." I nodded and we maneuvered around the fallen bodies on our way up the stairs. Once we got to the top we stopped to catch our breath. With my hands on my knees I huffed out, "How much do you want to bet that there are guns pointed at this door right now?"

Sasuke shrugged. "My bet is that you're right." He slowly stepped forward and moved me behind him. He reached out towards the door knob and pulled.

_**Konoha: Naruto POV**_

Itachi and I dashed down the empty streets, eagerly following my necklace. Yeah, I know it's strange to be trusting a little bit of crystal, but hell, it's from the Gods. The necklace then made an abrupt move to the right. I ran to the left signaling Itachi to follow me.

Itachi. Now he was someone I didn't want to run into. Sure he was strong and his brother was captured too, but I needed to do this alone. Baggage was the last thing I or Sakura needed at this point in the plan.

"Does it look like I'm going the right way?" I shouted at Itachi.

Itachi mutely nodded. "Yes, but how are you sure that they are in the Uchiha Building?"

I only grinned. "Call it a brother's intuition; I'm sure you know all about that."

Itachi didn't say anything as he ran beside me. As we ran through the dimly lit streets of Konoha, I noticed that we passed the spot where Nagato found us. It struck me odd. We were that close to the Uchiha building and weren't caught. That was lucky, but at the moment I was worried that our luck was about to run out.

The necklace made a final movement to the left, and as we rounded the corner it dropped back onto my chest. There before us stood the Uchiha building, a grand structure on its own. The building was made of black, liquid-like glass and it swirled in a half spiral shape as it went upward. The thing was huge.

I gulped and looked towards my companion. His face was nostalgic, eyebrows furrowed and he stress marks more pronounced. Obviously this place didn't bring back the best of memories for him.

I placed a hand on his shoulders and said gruffly, "You wanted to come along, so are you ready to fight to get our siblings out of there?"

Itachi took on last glance at the building and then turned to me, his ebony eyes looking straight into my own clear blue ones. "Let's go."

I nodded and then moved slowly towards the building, trying to stay within the shadows. There were some bushes that swept across the side of the building, giving us the perfect cover. We slinked behind the bushes and slowly peeped over them to look inside the building. Near the far right on the inside, roughly around twenty to thirty men stood outside a door, guns pointed right at it. My necklace burned on my chest, telling me that something was behind that door. It had to be my sister.

"I think we should think carefully about how we approach this Naruto," Itachi said from beside me, looking at the door as well.

I tsked. "Yeah right, we're barging in there."

Itachi gave me a wide-eyed look. "You can't be serious yo-"

"Dead serious," was all I said before I bounded out of the bushes and ran into the building, ready to kick some serious ass. Focusing on my newfound strength, I aimed a punch at the closest guy I could find and punched him square in the gut. My hand glowed a faint blue as the man flew backwards and into about five other men, pushing them down.

I smirked, these guys were going down.

I then heard a screech behind me to see Itachi kicking and punching men left and right, moving fluidly as he did so. I just nodded at him and proceeded to use my now glowing blue hand to punch through the men surrounding me. Man, this was so cool.

_**Uchiha Corporation Building: Sakura POV**_

Sasuke swung the door open and immediately turned around and pulled me down to the ground. I peeked from underneath his arm to see a guard being thrown over us. What the hell?

Sasuke got off of me slowly and I got up with him. Both of our jaws dropped at the scene in front of us. My older brother and Itachi were charging through all of the guards, avoiding their weapons and beating the crap out of anyone who got in their way. Most surprising of all though was the blue glow that surrounded Naruto's hand. He would punch at the men and send them flying into each other with a bone crushing fall.

I ran out of the doorway before Sasuke and shouted, "Naruto! Itachi! What are you doing here?!"

Naruto punched another guy and Itachi flipped one over his back. "Saving your sorry asses!" Naruto yelled back. "You guys okay?"

"We're fine dobe, wha-"Sasuke said but was cut off by another guard heading our way. Sasuke ducked and the man lost balance, falling over Sasuke and down the stairs behind us.

Leaving Sasuke to catch up I ran into the fray and shouted, "Get down!" Itachi and Naruto responded by lying flat on the ground as I concentrated green light through my body and forced it out in a wave, knocking all the Uchiha guards off their feet.

I then fell to my knees, and my pink hair pooled at my feet. I huffed, trying to catch my breath. I must have overworked that certain attack. Maybe having microwave fingers wasn't the coolest thing in the world.

While on my knees I didn't notice before it was too late that a single guard was heading my way, gun pointed at my head. I looked up and saw him running towards me. "Stay away from my sister you bastard!"

Naruto came out of nowhere and grabbed the man's arm that was holding the gun and held it up, while he used his other blue light coated arm to punch at the man's gut. The sound of his ribs breaking was chilling as he flung across the room, blood spilling out of his mouth.

"Are you alright," a soft voice said to me as it placed its arms on my side.

I nodded slowly, and looked up again to see Itachi leaning over me, concern etching his features. I then heard heavy footfalls and saw that Naruto and Sasuke were heading to us, the guards now all taken care of.

Naruto knelt down next to me and pulled me into a hug. "I thought I lost you," he whispered into my hair.

I snickered a little. "Hey I can't die yet, remember."

He said nothing as he pulled me closer. I looked over his shoulder and saw Itachi and Sasuke staring at each other. It was only for a second because soon Itachi moved forward and poked Sasuke's forehead before hugging him close. They exchanged some words that were too quiet for me to hear.

Naruto helped me up and the two of us stood next to each other, looking at the Uchiha brothers as the got out of their momentary embrace. "We should leave," Itachi said quickly. We were all about to head to the door before I felt that sinister presence behind us. Madara.

"Sorry but I can't let you leave."

The four of us turned around and saw that Madara was standing nonchalantly, leaning against the wall. He didn't even pay any attention to his fallen men as he stepped over them. He then started to laugh. "I didn't expect you to learn how to use your abilities all ready. You far exceeded my expectations, Naruto, Sakura."

Naruto stepped slightly in front of me and growled. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't punch your head off right now!" So, Naruto must've known that was Madara. The necklace probably gave him the evil vibe.

Madara shrugged. "You know you two aren't the only ones who possess the power of the Gods."

Madara reached to his chest a pulled out a crystal exactly the same as Naruto's and mine, but it was blood red, as if it had been painted with his victim's blood. It gave me the chills just looking at it. But… "That's the same necklace the man on the beach had…"

Madara laughed louder. "Oh yes, I wanted to see if Yamada was worthy to use it, but he disappointed me." He then twirled the red gem around in his hand. "Now, looks like we have ourselves a little problem here. Come quietly and I won't kill you yet."

"You're dead!" Sasuke shouted and ran forward, but Itachi reached for him to stop Sasuke in his tracks.

"Going after him would be moronic Sasuke," Itachi said calmly, but his eyes burned holes into Madara's skull.

Sasuke said nothing, but didn't stand down. I stepped forwards beside my brother. "_Exactly_ what do you want, and don't beat around the bush," I asked.

Madara only smirked in mirth, seeming to enjoy our current position. "I just want what rightfully belongs to me. Those necklaces originally were given to Uchiha's but the Senju clan, a clan you two are descended of stole them. I'm only taking back what is mine."

"Ha," Naruto said underneath his breath, "Like we're supposed to believe that shit."

Madara only glared. "It is the truth. I do not expect a simple minded teenager to understand the power that sits on their necks."

"But that red crystal around your neck is from the Yomi, demons," I said skeptically. "Why would the Uchiha be the original humans that Izanagi and Izanami gave the Sources to when you have that necklace around your neck?"

"I was given little to no choice," Madara said. "To gain what is mine I had to become one with my…unfavorable side. The Yomi are just as misunderstood as I am."

I glared. "The Yomi, are demons! How the hell are they misunderstood?"

"By close-minded individuals like yourself. There is no such thing as _good_ or _bad_, everything is grey. Truly my goal is peace, something I think you can all relate to."

"What peace!? This is madness; you just want to have the world in the palm of your hand, that is not peace!" I shouted, getting to my breaking point.

"How can you say your goal is peace when in a peaceful world no one has to die. You killed our parents! How can you justify that?" Sasuke screamed.

The only calm one was Itachi from the looks of it at this point.

"Some people have to die if they refuse to look forward. With the power of Izanagi, Izanami, and the Yomi in my possession I can create a world without war and meaningless death. The only death will be ones that are destined to happen," Madara preached.

"You're insane," Itachi said smoothly. "Peace is an impossible ideal that can never be achieved. Humans can never truly get along."

Madara wagged a finger in front of his face. "Now that is where you are wrong my nephew. People can coexist if a leader rises from the ashes to rule them. Free will shall be crushed and everyone will be equal."

"Except you," I whispered hatefully.

"Someone has to be strong and someone has to be weak. It is the natural way of this world," Madara said with conviction.

"I can't say anyone here agrees with your survival of the fittest philosophy uncle," Itachi said unemotionally, but his eyes burned with pure hatred.

"I could kill all four of you with the flick of a finger, but I will give you a choice," Madara mused. "Naruto and Sakura Namikaze, hand yourselves over and my nephews will not be harmed, or I will forcibly take you."

Naruto and I looked at each other; this was our chance to put the plan in motion. With all this new information from Madara things might be a little more complicated, but it wasn't something we couldn't deal with. Plus we had to save Itachi and Sasuke before their maniac of an uncle killed them.

Taking a deep breath I took Naruto's hand in my own, Naruto squeezed it as if he was telling me he was thinking the same exact thing, this was the perfect chance for our plan to be set in motion.

"We will surrender."

And here we go.

**~Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, just the plot of this story**

**How is that for a chapter! Ha, I can't believe it's going to be ending soon, I'm not sure how many chapters are left but it's nearing its end. **

**And I'm obviously a Dark Knight fan since the "here we go" part was from the Joker. Man I love that movie!**

**Okay now I'm ranting…**

**Anyways thank you to all that reviewed and subscribed. I love you all so very much! Please tell me what you thought about this and what you think Sakura and Naruto's plan is, I would love to hear your theories! Thank you again! **


	24. A Little History Lesson

_**Uchiha Corporation Building **_

"Are you crazy?!"

I looked at Sasuke with a hard glare. "You and Itachi get out of here, now."

He shook his head furiously and grabbed my shoulder. "We have been trying to escape, and now you're telling me you want to stay? I think I have the right to call you crazy."

Naruto gripped my hand and turned his head to face Sasuke. "Listen to Sakura-chan and go teme."

Itachi who had remained silent in thought spoke up. "There is no reason for you to do this Sakura, Naruto. It is foolish." His voice was calm, but I could hear the underlying tension to it.

I sighed and pleaded, "Please you two, get out of here. If you don't we will all die. Better for two to go rather than all four, right?"

Itachi and Sasuke were about to protest, but Madara cut them off. "Nephews, they have made their decision. I will not be so forgiving the next time I see you boys so I suggest you take her advice and leave this instant."

Naruto then leaned down next to my ear and whispered softly. "They won't leave on their own, they're too stubborn. How about you _push_ them out?"

I nodded my head softly and sadly. Before I could change my mind I whipped around, whispered a sorry, and pushed the two Uchiha siblings outside the door with as little force as possible. The green light emitted from my fingers lashed at them, but instead of it having a searing pain to it, it contained gentle warmth as it pushed them out the door. The door was locked immediately, but it didn't matter since they already passed out from the energy.

Clapping could be heard as I turned around. Madara was clapping slowly, a malicious grin covering his face. "Impressive, if I do say so myself. Now, come. We must start the preparations for extraction."

"Extraction?" Naruto questioned harshly.

Madara started to walk down one of the many hallways, saying nothing. He made a motion with his hand for us to follow him. Reluctantly we did.

This was crazy, but isn't being crazy a sign of genius? My father used to say that all the time, normally I would just laugh at his strangeness. But now I was in his place. Yes, it was his plan in the first place, and who knows I could've been hallucinating for all I know. That would mean that I was leading Naruto and myself into a death trap. I looked to the side to see my brother's face. It was stone. The sunshine smile was gone, the constant glimmer in his eyes gone, his laidback walk gone, everything that was Naruto, gone.

He knew this was dangerous, I knew this was dangerous. But I believe it wasn't our lives we were worried for, but the lives of those we would leave behind.

_**Location Unknown**_

"Run faster damnit! We probably lost them already!"

"How about you tell that to the old man asshole!"

"I'm ahead of you baka."

"Will you two shut up, my four babies are gone with a homicidal maniac! Now keep running and no talking or I will punch your lights out."

Hidan and Deidara effectively shut up quick at Tsunade's warning. At the moment, Tsunade and Jiraiya were leading Nagato, Yahiko, Kisame, Sasori, Deidara, and Hidan to the Uchiha Cooperation Building. Konan was told to head to the police department, specifically one that wasn't Uchiha controlled. That would be difficult, so the rest of them headed for where they knew Itachi ran off to.

As soon as Naruto stormed out Itachi decided to lie and tell them he was heading out to get some fresh air. They should've seen that one coming.

"Do you think they're okay?" Nagato asked timidly, worried for the answer.

"My guess is no buddy," Yahiko said morosely as he ran.

"They're tough little kids, I'm sure they will be fine," Kisame mumbled, not believing it himself.

"Heh," Hidan sighed, "Well, if you ask me I think they're either one: dead, two: beating the shit of someone, or three: safe but captured."

"No one asked you, un," Deidara shouted at him.

Hidan only shrugged his shoulders pretending to be nonchalant, but in all actuality, he was beyond worried for his friends.

"I would know if they died," Jiraiya said gravely. "I would feel it in my gut, and my gut's telling me that all four of them are alive."

"But are they well?" Nagato asked, already knowing the answer.

"I don't know."

_**Uchiha Corporation Building **_

Madara led Naruto and I down a dimly lit hallway that seemed to stretch for miles. I fidgeted and played with my bubblegum hair was we walked, already feeling a sense of doom. Naruto noticed my nervousness and quickly placed his arm around my shoulder, squeezing it tightly, as if to say that he was there to protect me. He shouldn't be thinking that all the time.

I looked through the hair covering my face, and fussed with my torn dress while walking. This hallway seemed to never end. As soon as I thought that, distantly ahead I could see a metal door, all shiny and new looking. My necklace glowed and burned softly. I glanced to see Naruto's was doing the same thing.

As we approached the door the necklace glowed brighter, as if something on the other side was familiar to them. Whether it was good or bad I didn't know.

Madara then reached the door and pulled out his red crystal. The steel door had all these different carvings and inscriptions in it, making me wonder what they meant, but at the very center of the door there was a hole. Madara approached the hole and stuck his crystal in it, twisting it once to the right and then the left. A large creak was heard as he pulled out the crystal. I could hear some gears turning, steel grinding and moving from the inside. Then the door slowly started to open.

Naruto clutched my shoulder tighter, trying to stay strong. I just stayed by his side.

"Come children," Madara soothed, suddenly sounding less menacing. "With this extraction, _true_ peace will come."

"And what's your definition of _true_ peace?" Naruto grounded out.

Madara glanced backwards at us and smirked. "You will not live to see it."

He then stepped forward into the room. After a few seconds we followed, our steps echoing as we passed through the doorway. I looked around and saw that the walls glimmered silver, with writing that was similar to the door on every wall. The floor had intricate line patterns, curving and swirling every which way. At the center of the ridiculously large room stood ten different podiums all in a circle, eight of them held crystals of different colors.

"What are those?" I questioned, trying to ease out my nervousness.

Madara only kept walking forward saying, "Did you really think that you were the only two who gained power from Izanagi and Izanami? Yes you two are the direct descendants of the original human beings who stole The Sources from the Uchiha, but there were others who had crystals of similar power. Eight other, lower Gods saw what Izanagi and Izanami did to save the humans, so in turn they put some of their abilities into crystals and handed them to humans who they trusted. These humans became known as the 9 Jinchuriki, holders of the Gods powers."

"But there are ten podiums," I observed.

"Yes, there are ten for a reason. You see, Izanagi and Izanami originally only gave one crystal to a human being, but this human, who was Uchiha," Naruto scoffed at this, "decided to split the power into two, thus creating two necklaces of the same origin. But the Senju clan stole it from us." Madara clenched his hand at this. "They stole our greatness."

"Someone's a little bitter," Naruto grunted.

Madara swiftly turned to face us fully and glared. "Your arrogance will be the end of you boy."

"I think it's the other way around actually," I said as calmly as I could. "And how are we supposed to know that you're telling the truth. For all we know, you could just be saying this to make our family look bad while putting yours on a damn pedestal. Last I checked, we Namikaze's use the power of Izanagi and Izanami, not the Yomi."

"Like I said girl, your family took away our power, so we had to use other means in order to get it back."

Madara then said nothing more, and approached the ten steel podiums.

"Ready?" Naruto whispered so only I could hear.

"You bet."

_**Outside Uchiha Cooperation Building**_

"Hey we're almost there!"

"No fucking duh idiot. I think the fucking Uchiha sign is enough to tell."

"Shut up, un!"

"Do we have to go through this again twits!"

Once again, Hidan and Deidara cowered in fear of Tsunade and her wrath, and her slowly thinning patience.

"What are those things on the ground?" Sasori questioned lightly, turning everyone's attention to his line of sight.

Upon closer inspection, and plenty more running, they were able to tell. "I think it's Itachi and Sasuke! What happened to them?" Yahiko questioned.

Jiraiya was the first to arrive to the two fallen brothers. He examined them quickly and shouted, "They're alive, only unconscious. Tsunade get over here!"

Tsunade arrived next and checked all their vitals, making sure they weren't injured anywhere. They had minor cuts and bruises, but other than that they were fine. While she worked on trying to get them up, Hidan, Nagato, and Yahiko went inside the building, seeing the broken glass scattered everywhere among the many bodies. Nagato ran to one and checked their pulse. "The guards are still alive!"

"What hell happened here?" Yahiko questioned.

That's when they heard the sound of glass moving. Yahiko, Nagato, and Hidan looked towards the sound and saw Sasori dragging someone through the broken glass. "He was awake," Sasori said calmly. Tobi's body was all scratched and banged up, but there were some burns on him that didn't look very natural.

While dragging the body over, Tsunade was finally able to wake Itachi and Sasuke with the help of Jiraiya. Tsunade slapped them both for being stupid, but was quick to hug them. Itachi and Sasuke barely registered it, still in shock from the blow Sakura gave them.

"What happened boys?" Jiraiya asked calmly.

Sasuke then stood up abruptly, though shaky, as he saw Tobi being dragged over to them. Itachi then stood with him, getting up slower. Both ignored Jiraiya's question, in favor of going to their uncle.

Sasori let go of Tobi's shirt and dropped him on the pavement, earning a small groan from the man. Not more than a second later Sasuke dropped to his uncle's level and grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt. "Where did he take them?!" he shouted in anger.

"It would be wise for you to answer uncle," Itachi seethed from above the two Uchiha.

The others just watched silently as Itachi and Sasuke showed their rage towards Tobi.

"Answer me!" Sasuke shouted, his voice becoming ragged.

"Sorry Sasuke-chan, but it seems that if my brother has already taken them, then they are probably dead," Tobi said with little to no emotion.

"What do you fucking mean?" Hidan growled.

Tobi coughed as Sasuke tightened his grip. "I mean…that those two will be going through a process that will kill them. They will be in excruciating pain if they already aren't. You have no hope if they have already been Extracted."

**~Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way, just the plot of this story**

**So…yeah I guess you all are used to me being gone for a while. Sorry about that. I have been recently told that I have some permanent medical issues with my back so it's kinda hard to write while you're in pain, but I did it for all of the fans! Seriously I love you guys and your reviews so much! It's great to be supported :)**

**Now tell me what you all thought in your reviews! You know I love to read them. And thank you all who have reviewed, subscribed or favorited, it means a lot!**


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